Race Against Time
by Charlie Hayden
Summary: Three heroes are thrust into the past to stop the darkness from spreading across the galaxy. On Hiatus.
1. Prologue

**A/N:**_This is a new story that I thought of. I wanted to do another time travel story and this is the result. I wasn't sure what decade that I wanted to travel to but after reading an unfinished fic on here I thought that the timeline that I will be taking a turn in would prove interesting. I already have so much written for this story it isn't even funny. I hope that you enjoy this story. _

* * *

_"Vader is here...now, on this moon."_

_"How do you know?"_

_"I felt his presence. He's come for me. He can feel when I'm near. That's why I have to go. As long as I stay, I'm endangering the group and our mission here. I have to face him."_

_"Why?"_

_"He's my father."_

_"Your father?"_

_"There's more. It won't be easy for you to hear it, but you must. If I don't make it back, you're the only hope for the Alliance."_

_"Luke, don't talk that way. You have a power I--I don't understand and could never have."_

_"You're wrong, Leia. You have that power too. In time you'll learn to use it as I have. The Force is strong in my family. My father has it...I have it...and...my sister has it."_

_"Yes. It's you Leia."_

Leia replayed this conversation inside her head growing more distraught and determined by the second. The very fact that Luke had turned himself into the Empire to face that monster distraught her. The fact that the monster was his father- their father- was unconceivable and sent a shiver down her spine. She could believe that Luke was her brother. It explained the strong connection she felt with him, a connection like she hadn't felt before. But for Darth Vader to be their father, she didn't want to believe it. But Luke did and he was going to try to save him. Leia was sure that this could very well be the biggest mistake of his life and could very well could be his last one. Leia couldn't let Luke face this alone. Not with the amount of times that he wouldn't let her face danger alone. She also couldn't take it if she lost Luke, not now, not ever. That was why she left the strike team to follow her brother, barely explaining it to Han. Han, how could she tell him about Vader? How could she tell anyone? It was a moment like this when she wished that her adoptive parents were alive, so she could ask them about this, if they even knew.

It was nothing short of a miracle that she hadn't been noticed yet. After getting into the Imperial base, Leia mostly stuck to the shadows and thanks to the empires stark and dark interior design, she was able to go unnoticed, covering herself up in a black cloak. Luke's cloak. She overheard several imperials talking about a rebel who turned himself into the empire and that Vader had taken him to the Death Star. Leia had to get to the Death Star. She had to get Luke off of there before it was destroyed. As she made her way through the base, she saw her opportunity. A shuttle taking supplies to the Death Star, she had to hurry and hopefully she wouldn't get caught.

--

* * *

Leia raced as fast as she could through the Death Star without getting caught. Somehow she could feel everything that Luke was feeling. Anger, adrenaline, determination, revulsion, then serenity. As she neared the throne room she suddenly felt as though Luke was in pain, horrible pain. Leia raced harder to get to him, she didn't even think about what she was doing when she saw the emperor's royal guards. Because if she thought about she most likely couldn't do what she did but instinct told her what to do and that instruct sounded strangely like a voice she had heard her father speaking to over a communications console, telling her what to do. Before she could register what she had done the royal guards were shoved aside and against the walls. Leia didn't allow herself time to think as she burst into the throne room in time to see the Emperor torturing Luke and before she could even move she saw something that if she didn't see it with her own two eyes, she wouldn't have believed it. Vader had picked the emperor up and tossed him down the reactor shaft before collapsing, freeing Luke from whatever torture he was under.

Leia raced over to her brother. "Luke!" she called skidding to a halt to help him stand.

"What are you doing here?" Luke asked. "You're supposed to be helping the others."

"Did you honestly think that I was going to let you hand yourself over to the enemy without a fight?" Leia retorted as he got to his feet.

Luke ignored her comment as he rushed over to help Vader who hadn't gotten up. Leia stood there, unable to move, unwilling to help but when Luke looked over to her, she knew what he was going to ask without him saying anything.

"We need to get off of here and fast," she said. "Han had just gotten into the base when I left."

"Leia," Luke said moving to help Vader to stand "help me."

Leia just stood there for a moment looking at them. Mixed emotions running through her but then Luke met her eyes and she found her feet, moving to help. Together, she and Luke hurried to get out of there with an injured Vader holding them down.

"How did you get here?" Luke asked.

"I improvised," Leia told him.

Luke nodded in understanding. He then look away, getting a far away look in his eyes. "We better hurry!" he said urgently.

Leia could feel it too and the two of them pressed the pace to get to the hanger. Leia didn't even think about what she was doing because if she did, she didn't think that she could continue. Because if she even began thinking about how she was helping Vader to escape doom then she very well could freeze in what she was doing.

By the time that they reached the hanger, Vader seemed to be getting weaker by the moment, the sound of his mechanical breathing becoming even more erratic. But as they entered the hanger, none of the officers seemed to take notice. Perhaps they didn't care or was Vader's presence keeping their escape from being questioned? Leia couldn't decide on the matter.

"We need to find an empty shuttle!" Luke told her.

"Can you even fly one?" Leia asked.

"I think that, that question is irrelevant," Luke told her seriously, looking her in the eye.

"Then I'll leave it up to you," Leia told him as they made their way towards a shuttle. Thankfully it was still empty. Leia reached over once they were on board to close the ramp before helping her brother to deposit Vader in a seat in the cockpit while she took the copilots seat, knowing full well that Luke wouldn't need a copilot as he slid into the pilots seat.

"I'm going to try to make the jump to hyperspace as soon as we're out of here," Luke told her reaching for the controls, familiarizing himself with them.

"Why?" Leia asked knowing that that question was irrelevant. Luke no doubt wanted to get Vader immediate medical care.

Luke just looked at her in answer making Leia turn her attention to Vader, briefly wondering what Bail Organa would say to her helping him. What the Alliance would say and she began to have doubts, finally allowing herself the option of thinking. "They won't like what we're doing," she said.

"I don't care," Luke told her taking control of the shuttle and taking off.

Leia followed Luke's instruction, taking on the role of copilot. She pushed her thoughts in the back of her mind, choosing to concentrate on what she was doing instead. As they raced out of the hanger, she felt something screaming at her. She noticed Luke tense and she knew that he felt it too. The she felt the heat of an explosion as though it was right behind her and against her back and neck. "Luke! Something is wrong!" she barely got those words out before everything as she knew it flashed in front of her and the space around her brightened and turned to an intense white light.

--

* * *

Leia felt the intense wind and heard the unmistakable sound of a raging storm around her before she opened her eyes. Something green whipped across her face and she sat up seeing that she was laying in a field of tall grass. As far as she could see was the tall grass rippling in the intense wind and the gray sky of a raging storm, yet, there wasn't a single raindrop. They sky was just a dull gray where lightning pierced it every so often. Over the intense howling wind, thunder could be heard, every twenty seconds. Leia turned this where and that but she couldn't see anyone else. "Luke!" she called, fearfully.

"I'm here," came the instant reply followed by Luke's appearance as he too sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

Leia stood up and tried to see if she could see anything but grass and the storm. "Where are we?" she asked.

Luke slowly stood up and too looked around. "I don't know," he said. "But where ever here is, it's powerful with the force. I've never felt the force this intense before," he told her.

Before she could form another question that ran through her mind, Leia heard the distinctive sound of a groan, briefly wondering where it had come from before she remembered Vader. She stood still with the wind whipping her hair around her face, remembering that she had put it up before following Luke. She watched as Luke rushed over to where they heard the groan to help Vader. She was unprepared for the sight that would great her when Vader too emerged from the grass. He wasn't wearing that suit, his appearance not even associated with what she knew of him. A rather large and hideous scar ran over his right cheek and the side of his face coupled by his sunken eyes marred what was once a handsome face. Another thing that startled her was that he had hair, she had heard rumors that Vader was bald under that suit. His hair which reached down to his shoulders was the same shade of blond as Luke's only it had very few streaks of gray, a sign of age. Then his eyes settled on her and she felt a chill run down her spine. They were the same ocean blue as Luke's.

"We need to find a way to get off of wherever this is," Luke said and Leia broke eye contact with Vader to look at him.

"We don't even know where here is or how we got here. And that shuttle is no where to be seen," she said.

"There wouldn't be any ship for us to use to get away from here," Vader said speaking up. "We're inside the force."

Luke looked at him questionably. "Is that even possible?" he asked.

"Only if your dead," Vader answered.

"It can't be!" Leia couldn't believe it. She wouldn't. "There has to be some way to get out of here!"

Vader looked at her sadly. "There isn't," he told her.

"There is no death, there is force," Luke breathed causing Vader to turn his attention to him.

Before another word was spoken two streaks of lightning collided together creating a break in the space before them. A break big enough to walk through and then Leia saw something. Inside the break, she could see beings of different species walking around what appeared to be an urban city. "Luke, do you see that?" she asked.

Luke saw it too. "You don't think..."

"A way out, a way home," Leia confirmed. She walked towards the break and reached out to touch it.

"Don't!" came the harsh warning from Vader.

But Leia wasn't listening and she reached inside the break, feeling a sort of static electricity running over her skin. She looked back over to Luke. "We don't know how long this will last," she said.

"Then lets not wait around for this to close," Luke told her, coming up to stand next to her.

"You don't know where that can lead you!" Vader told them.

"It could be our only chance to get out of here," Luke told him, turning to face him. He then took Leia's hand. "We're going, are you coming with us?" he asked.

"I'm not going to let the two of you go through there alone," Vader told them strictly, knowing that he couldn't stop them.

Luke then turned to his sister. "Ready?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Leia confirmed and the two of them stepped through the break closely followed by Vader.


	2. Backwards Through Time

**A/N:**_ Nothing much happens in this chapter. Until Obi-Wan and young Anakin returns from Ansion, things will be slow. And Padme doesn't enter the mix until later as well. _

* * *

Luke and Leia instantly found themselves in a darkened ally after stepping through the break and closely examined their surroundings before being joined by their father who looked past the ally way like it was familiar to him before noticing that he had a solid, organic body. "I would have never thought this possible," he breathed, examining both of his hands, both flesh.

Luke and Leia looked at him for a moment before heading towards the entrance to the ally. "Where are we now?" Luke asked.

"It looks like Coruscant," Leia answered.

"It is Coruscant," their father confirmed. "But how it is possible is beyond explanation," he added.

"Then maybe we should be careful," Luke suggested, moving to hide his lightsaber but finding that he didn't have it. "Nice," he stated sarcastically.

"What is it?" Leia asked.

"My lightsaber is gone," Luke told her.

"I don't have one either, so don't start having a fit," his father told him.

"That's a relief," Leia stated making her father narrow his eyes at her. "We can't stay in this ally forever so I suggest we find ourselves a ship so that we can return to the Alliance," she said.

Luke nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I don't think that I would enjoy being on the center of the Empire too much," he replied and followed Leia out of the ally with their father behind them.

"There is only one problem," Leia said as she just thought about it. "We don't have any money for a transport."

"I'm sure that if we contact Han, he'll come and get us," Luke told him.

"That is if the Falcon's hyperdrive doesn't fail again," Leia told him grimly.

"I just helped Lando fix it!" Luke told her in defense.

"And how many times does Han have to fix it?" Leia asked pointedly.

"Right," Luke agreed. "I still say that the Falcon is a piece of junk," he added.

"Don't let Han hear you say that," Leia warned.

"He already has," Luke told her.

"Really? Did he take it better than being called a scruffy stuck up nerf-herder?" Leia asked.

"Ummmm...well. You know that he takes more pride in the Falcon than in himself," Luke said, getting uncomfortable with that particular memory.

"I'm sorry about that," Leia said knowing why he was uncomfortable.

Luke just flashed her a lopsided grin. "It's all right," he said putting an arm around her. "Just do me a favor," he said.

"What?" Leia asked looking up at him.

"Don't use me to make Han jealous again, please," Luke asked.

Leia laughed. "Deal," she agreed.

"Besides, whenever Han makes you mad again, Wedge or Hobbie both said that they would be glad to help you," Luke told her.

"Are you ever going to tell me which one of the Rogues turned up the heat in my room on Hoth?" Leia asked pointedly.

"I had absolutely nothing to do with that," Luke told her.

"But you know who did it," Leia pointed out.

"What makes you say that?" Luke asked.

"Because you know about all of their antics," Leia reminded him.

"I can't tell you who did it, Leia," Luke told her.

"I'm your sister," Leia pointed out. "I could have caught my death!"

"I'd tell you if I knew, honestly," Luke told her. "I don't think that freezing on Hoth is a funny matter," he added.

Leia looked at him. "I was worried about you when you went missing," she told him.

"Well, thanks to Han, I came back okay," he reminded her.

"What happened on Hoth?" their father asked concerned.

"I was attacked by an ice beast while doing rounds," Luke told him.

His father winced. "Whose bright idea was it for you to be on Hoth anyway?" he asked.

"Don't ask," both twins said.

"Sometimes I think that you have terrible luck," Leia said looking at her brother.

"Why, because several creatures thought of me as food? That doesn't constitute as luck. That's more like nature. Obviously, if I had any kind of luck it would be good luck since I'm still alive," Luke replied.

Leia just shook her head as they passed a news stand and froze, catching the top line of one of the news holos.

Both Skywalker men turned to see what made her freeze and the older of the two cursed a vulgar curse in huttese. There, flashing on the date was Helona the seventh year 13 ARS.

"It could be a misprint," Luke said.

"It isn't," Leia told him finally knowing why Coruscant looked so different.

"But that would mean..."

"We're in the past," Leia finished fearfully. Both twins turned to their father who was now muttering furiously in huttese and pacing.

"Is that even possible?" Luke asked for the second time in under two hours.

"Anything is possible with the Force," his father said, answering him. "Didn't Obi-Wan tell you that?" he demanded.

"He wasn't given much of an opportunity to teach me much of anything," Luke replied calmly, looking directly at his father.

His father stopped his pacing and looked at Luke. "Thanks for throwing that in my face," he said pointedly.

"Anytime," Luke replied.

"Your cheekiness is most unwelcome," his father told him.

Leia looked at her brother. "What are we going to do now?" she asked.

Luke looked at her. "I'm just thinking about the opportunity we have right now," he told her.

Leia regarded him for a moment before knowing what he meant. "We could stop the Empire from forming..." she said.

"And save the Jedi," Luke put in.

Their father stared at them. The thoughts not having occurred to him. How many times did he wish that he could change something? He had lost count. But the task would be very complicated. "Those goals are very complicated, we would need help and I don't think that many would even believe us," he told them.

"We would have to come up with a plan," Leia said looking at her brother. "And soon," she added.

"And food," Luke noted when someone's stomach started growling and both twins looked at their father.

--

The trio stopped in front of a diner. The oldest of the bunch, stopping to reminisce.

"How are we going to pay for this again?" Luke asked.

"We're not," his father told him. "All we have to say to the owner is that Obi-Wan Kenobi sent us and we'll get a free meal," he informed them.

"So sure of that," Leia said doubtfully.

"Dex is a very good friend of Obi-Wan's. He's also a valuable source of information," her father informed her.

"And he'll believe that?" Luke asked.

"Yes. The names, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are not yet well known across the galaxy," his father told him, taking the lead inside the diner where they were greeted by the droid waitress.

"What can I get you?" the droid asked.

"Bribb juice," the oldest Skywalker said.

"Jawa Juice," Luke said.

Both men turned to Leia then. "L'lahsh," she answered.

"It's a little early for alcohol, don't you think?" their father stated looking at them.

"Right now, I need it," Leia replied.

"I don't think that they carry that here," her father said.

"Then I'll take some Corellian Whiskey," Leia decided and her father winced.

"You don't have to get hammered," he told her. He then turned to the droid waitress, "Give her a Jawa juice," he told it.

"I'll have it there for you in a moment," the droid replied as they took a seat.

"Seriously, where on all the seven Tatooine hells could you have picked up that kind of drinking habit?" her father asked her.

Luke laughed. "I haven't heard that phrase in a long time," he said and then answered for his sister. "It's Han's favorite drink."

"Han?" their father questioned. "This wouldn't be that space pirate, would it?" he asked.

"Is there a problem?" Leia asked.

"Han is a real stand up guy," Luke defended. "There is really more to him than meets the eye. Ben thought so and I knew it after he helped us escape the Death Star," he pointed out.

"Ben?" his father questioned.

"That's the name that Obi-Wan used during the Empire. It's what I knew him as," Luke explained.

"I see," his father replied. "That wasn't very smart of him," he added.

"Why" Luke asked.

"Because it's the code name that I came up with for him," his father answered. That is when their drinks were delivered along with their menus.

"Let me know when you're ready to order," the droid said before taking off.

"I came up with it as a joke," their father informed them. He then chuckled. "Now I'm sorry for all the trouble I put him through," he added.

Leia raised an eyebrow at her brother who just shook his head. "We still need to come up with a plan," she pointed out.

"Our best bet if to have the Jedi on our side," her father said. At Leia's sharp glance he added, "I'm not going to kill them. I want to stop that from happening."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Leia asked skeptically.

Her father looked her in the eye. "Do you honestly think that I wish to live through that again? The worst twenty-four years of my life was being the Emperor's servant," he informed her. "If you think that I was bad, I was nothing compared that thing!"

"Why did you side with him then?" Luke asked. It wasn't an accusation, he wanted to understand.

"I turned to the dark side out of desperation and fear," his father answered. "I believed that your mother was going to die in childbirth and I was terrified of loosing her. I was desperate for a way to stop it from happening that I didn't even think that my actions would end up being the cause of her death," he explained. "I should have followed Master Yoda's advice rather than listening to what Palpatine had to say," he added sadly.

"What did Master Yoda say?" Luke asked interested.

"Have you met Master Yoda?" his father asked.

Luke smiled. "He taught me everything I know," he answered.

His father nodded. "He advised me to train myself to let go of everything that I feared to lose. I understood those words a little too late," he said. "If anyone will help us, he's the Jedi who has the most power to do so," he added.

"Because he is the most powerful?" Luke asked.

"Because he is the head of the Jedi Order and everyone basically does what he says," his father corrected. He then looked over at Leia. "You are right, we need a plan," he told her.

"Wouldn't it be easier to tell him who we are?" Leia asked.

"No," her father said quickly. "That will not help us at all," he said.

"Master Yoda may be an eccentric, but I don't think that he is stupid," Luke pointed out.

His father shook his head. "You don't understand. If we tell him the truth then I will be expelled from the Jedi Order and that could prove to be disastrous," he told Luke. "We'll have to come up with aliases," he finished. He then signaled to the waitress who rolled over to them.

"What can I get for you?" the droid asked.

"I'll have some of those famous sliders that I keep hearing about," their father said and turned to his children. "You should try it too," he advised.

"Are they good?" Luke asked.

"They're famous, what do you think?" his father replied.

"I'll have the same," Luke said to the waitress.

"I'll have a nerf steak," Leia said and then turned to the others. "I haven't had nerf in what seems like forever," she told them as the waitress rolled over to the kitchen.

"I hope you are prepared for a nice greasy fried nerf steak," her father told her.

"I'm willing to try everything at least once," Leia replied. Her father smiled but didn't say anything.

"You don't think we'll run into Ben?" Luke asked hopefully.

"Undoubtedly, but be prepared to see me at his side," his father answered and then frowned. "That in itself will be _interesting_," he added.

"How so?" Luke asked.

"Picture yourself being in the same room with a much younger version of yourself," his father said.

"That will be interesting," Luke agreed. "How soon do you think that will be?" he asked.

"Judging from the date, we wouldn't be returning from taking care of a border dispute on Ansion in two days. And we are exactly five weeks away from the battle that will become known as the first battle of the Clone Wars," their father informed them. "Many Jedi died in that battle, we barely had a victory that day," he added. He then smiled at a memory. "Your mother and I arrived there to rescue Obi-Wan but the three of us ended up in the execution arena before help could arrive. We thought we were going to die and just before we were lead to what would be our execution, your mother and I...well we had agreed a week before that we wouldn't give into how we felt about each other but then ended up getting married shortly after that battle," he said smiling at the memory.

"You really loved her," Luke said solemnly.

"She was my reason for breathing," his father said. "When she died, I gave up fighting and my life became empty and about following orders only."

"What was her name?" Leia asked.

"Padmè. She is the former Queen of Naboo and the current senator for Naboo," her father answered. "As beautiful as an angel too and she had the heart of one," he added softly. "And when she smiled, her entire face lit up, it was like she glowed." he looked down. "She fought so hard for democracy and for justice with all the passion she had and when the Republic became an Imperial dictatorship, I believe that took a lot out of her and when I turned to the dark side... I think that was what hurt her the most," he said sadly.

"I can remember her," Leia said. This earned a sharp glance from her father. "It's just an image and feelings. She was very beautiful but sad," she explained.

The moment, however, was interrupted by the timely arrival of the droid waitress with their food.

--

He stood still for a moment, looking straight ahead of him. Staring at the massive structure of the Jedi Temple. Many memories came to him, the most painful ones being at the forefront of them. He wasn't sure if he was ready for this. He wasn't sure if he deserved to grace those halls. But he had to try. He had to stop what would be happening in just a few short years even if he died trying.

"So this is the Jedi Temple," Luke said from beside him, the awe evident in his son's voice.

"It is," he confirmed.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Leia said from his other side.

"Just bracing myself," he answered before taking a deep breath before beginning the climb up the steps leading into the temple with his children following him. He had to stop the memories of the purge from entering his mind and he fought it with the happier memories. When they finally reached the top and entered the temple, he quickly checked the wall crono and sighed deeply. The Force was on their side at the moment. "Looks like we may be interrupting, Master Yoda's meditation," he said.

"Does that go against us?" Leia asked, a little unsure and concerned.

"No. If a Jedi needs his help, he doesn't mind the interruption. Hey may ask us to join him," he answered her.

"You'll like, Master Yoda," Luke told his sister as they followed their father through the temple. They received several odd glances from other Jedi, especially as Luke and Leia took in their surroundings, committing it to memory in case they failed. They only paused when they reached a grand entrance.

"Here goes nothing," he said, taking a deep breath before giving a warning glance at his children. "Lets keep my existence as a sith to ourselves," he requested.

"If you think that is best," Luke agreed but Leia didn't say anything. She didn't want to agree in case she may need to warn every Jedi in this temple.

He didn't wait long before palming the doors open and entering the chamber. Their presence wasn't noted by the aging Jedi master until he knelt before him. "I need your help, Master," he said, bowing his head.

Master Yoda opened his eyes to look at him. "So important it is that interrupt my meditation you do?" he asked.

He looked Master Yoda in the eye. "The survival of the Jedi Order depends on you helping me," he told him, seriously. He knew that that would gain Master Yoda's attention.

Master Yoda eyed him critically. "Foreseen this, I have not," he said.

"You wouldn't because the dark side is clouding everything," he told him.

"Felt this, many have not," Master Yoda stated.

"I have lived it, Master," he told him.

"Lived it, have you?" Master Yoda asked.

"Yes, Master," he answered.

Master Yoda didn't say anything, he just watched him, closely, studying him. "Believe you, I do, Anakin," he said.

He looked at him with wide eyes. "How?"

Master Yoda humphed. "Old I am, blind I am not. Know one of my most promising and problematic Jedi, from anywhere, I do," he said.

"Yes, Master," Anakin said.

"Sit, meditate we will. Tell me everything after you will," Master Yoda commanded.

"Yes, Master."

Master Yoda watched the three of them as they prepared to meditate, the unknown Jedi instructing the female on how to meditate and then watched as the older one struggled to calm himself. "Afraid you are," he admonished.

"I have reason to be, Master," he said.

"Be careful of fear, lead you to a dark place it will," Master Yoda warned.

"I have already learned that lesson, Master," he replied.

"Conquered it, have you?" Master Yoda asked.

"Yes, Master."

"The chosen one, you are," Master Yoda said. This earned a sharp glance.

"That title is more like a curse," he said bitterly.

Master Yoda nodded. "Agree with you, I do," he said. "But, your destiny, it is."

"Is it my destiny to have a Sith Lord coveting my soul?" he demanded harshly. "Does it say that somewhere in that ancient prophecy?" he demanded.

Master Yoda sighed. "Clouded your future, has always been," he said.

"I will stop it from happening," he said adamantly.

"Know who the Sith Lord is, do you?" Master Yoda asked.

He nodded. "Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Lord you have been looking for," he informed Yoda gravely.

"Troubling this is," Master Yoda said. "Careful we must be."

"I'm going to kill him," he said.

"Is revenge what you seek?" Master Yoda asked.

"He is too dangerous to be kept alive," he told him.

"Acting in revenge, a dark deed that is," Master Yoda admonished.

"I am well aware of that," he said.

"Learned that have you?" Master Yoda asked.

He looked down. "If I don't stop him now, he will use me to destroy the order. He has had designs on me since I was brought here by Qui-Gon Jinn. I can't let that happen," he told him.

"In time, he will be stopped. Do as I say until then, you will," Master Yoda told him.

"Yes, Master."

"The border dispute on Ansion, how much longer?" Master Yoda asked.

"Obi-Wan and I will be returning in approximately two days," he said.

Master Yoda nodded. "Stay in the temple you will. Guest quarters, reserved for dignitaries, you will stay," he said. "When Master Kenobi checks in, your orders you will receive. Free reign of the temple, you have."

"Yes, Master."


	3. Family Time

**A/N:**_ One more chapter before Obi-Wan and young Anakin enters the mix. _

* * *

Luke kept pace with his father as they made their way through the temple. He glanced over at Leia to see her lost in thought as she followed them. He turned back to his father. "So, where is these guest quarters?" he asked.

"At the top level of the temple, near the hanger," his father answered.

Luke looked behind them. "But we already passed the hanger," he pointed out.

His father sighed. "You want a lightsaber, do you not?" he asked.

"I thought that I would build a new one," Luke told him.

"There isn't time for us to travel to Ilum for the crystals that we'll need. We're going to have to settle for one of the temple's spare sabers," his father informed him.

"Ilum?" Luke questioned.

"Yes, when a jedi is about to build their lightsaber, they go to Ilum for the crystals. Ilum is the one place in the galaxy that is the most in tune with the force. There are others like it but Ilum is the strongest. The planet isn't generally known to non-jedi," his father explained, patiently.

"What is it like?" Luke asked curiously.

"It's a frigid ice world with many deep caves that were turned into a Jedi Temple thousands of years ago," his father told him. "Two things that I'm not particularly fond of; sand and ice," he added.

"I can relate," Luke said, earning him a rare smile.

"Let me guess. You don't like sand because it's rough, coarse and gets everywhere?" his father asked.

"No, I just got sick of seeing nothing but for miles," Luke told him. "Living on the farm was like living in a wasteland," he added.

His father laughed. "I could never understand the purpose of making ones living by squeezing water from sand," he said. He then sobered up. "If my mother would have heard what I just said, she wouldn't be happy. Not when she married a moisture farmer," he said.

Luke smiled, sadly. "Aunt Beru yelled at me once for saying something like that," he said.

"Beru? Owen Lars' girlfriend?" his father asked.

"You knew her?" Luke asked.

"I met her once. When I went looking for my mother. Not only did I find out that my mother had married Owen's father, but she was kidnapped by a band of Tuskan raiders a month earlier. I barely spoke to Beru. I was too concerned about my mother to take much notice of her," his father told him. "My mother's death marks the beginning of my fall to the dark side," he added as he thought about it.

"When is that?" Luke asked.

His father was quiet for a moment. "Soon," he said. He didn't voice the plans in his head as he thought about it.

Luke stared at him. "That fast?" he asked, alarmed.

"Falling to the dark side doesn't happen overnight, Luke. It takes several chinks to your armer to do that," his father told him. "For me it started with my mother's death and the Clone Wars beginning not even a day after that didn't help, coupled to my fears of loosing your mother, it became more than I could handle at the time. It also didn't help when I've been manipulated by the sith since I was a child," he finished. "Your fall would be complete the moment you commit the most heinous act that you could ever commit," he finished looking at his son.

"For you it was slaughtering the jedi," Leia said speaking up.

Her father shook his head. "That is nothing in comparison to what I did on Mustafar afterward," he told her regretfully.

"What could possibly be worse?" Leia asked.

"You don't want to know, Leia. Please don't ask me," her father said.

"I need to know," Leia told him, firmly.

Her father looked at her, seeing in her, Padmè's strength. How he could have missed it all these years was beyond him. He didn't want to tell her but he knew that she was struggling to understand. "I don't want you to think any less of me as you already do," he told her.

"I'm trying to keep an open mind," Leia told him.

"Trying and doing are two different things entirely. Trust me on that," her father pointed out.

"You killed her then. You killed my mother," Leia concluded.

"For many years I believed that I did but if I had then neither one of you would have survived," her father told her sadly. "There hasn't been a minute since then that I didn't wish in some way that I could change what I had done," he told her.

"I...I don't understand," Leia said at last.

"I don't understand any of this much either, Leia. I have spent more than half my life believing untruths that I'm not entirely certain which way is up or which way is down anymore," her father admitted.

Leia was silent as she digested this. Everything that she had known had been twisted upside down. Even the knowledge that she had had about Darth Vader was twisting into another form right in front of her as she learned of her parentage. After following Luke and seeing for herself, something that not many would believe and hearing him talk, hearing the emotion in his voice. It was so unlike everything that she had known for so long. She looked away, not wanting to see the look in his eyes anymore. On some level she preferred the mask that he used to wear. At least then she wouldn't have had to see his face and feel so conflicted inside.

"Do you have any idea on how we are going to spend our time until Master Yoda decides to give us our orders?" Luke asked, changing the subject.

"Preparing ourselves," his father answered. "Right now Palpatine is the head of the Republic and he is younger and stronger than you remember him," he finished.

Luke seemed to suppress a shudder while Leia watched her brother closely. They had resumed their pace through the temple until they reached a coded door where their father punched in the code to open it. The door opened instantly and they stepped through. On the walls, lightsabers belonging to notable jedi who had long ago died were displayed. Their father walked over to one and ran his fingers over it delicately. The twins heard him muttering something that sounded like "I'm sorry, Master Qui-Gon, I didn't mean to disappoint you," before they heard a much fainter, "I miss you."

Luke plucked a lightsaber from a wall and ignited it only to jump at his father's harsh voice.

"Put that back! These lightsabers were retired when their owners were killed!" his father ordered.

"So they're for display only?" Leia questioned.

"Their marked on the walls in remembrance and should not be disturbed," her father said strictly before punching in another code in the wall. Drawers instantly popped out carrying spare sabers. He instantly started browsing through them, testing them, ignited them to examine the blade before removing the casing to see how they were made. He did this several times until he reached the third hundred lightsaber and grew satisfied. Luke followed his example, finding one that met his needs much faster than his father while Leia watched.

That was when Leia was startled by having a lightsaber thrust in her hands. She looked up in her father's face and shook her head. "I don't know how to use one of these," she protested.

"You'll learn," her father insisted, booking no more room for any argument.

"Don't worry, Leia. It's easy enough to learn," Luke assured her.

Leia looked down at the weapon the was forced into her hands and doubts overtook her. What good would she do in this role? She knew nothing of the Force. Not like Luke did. How could they expect this of her?

"You'll learn," her father repeated as though sensing her doubts.

--

* * *

A loud whining noise erupted inside the room that housed the two bunks that Luke and Leia were sleeping in waking both occupants in the room. There was the sound of very un-ladylike curses coming from Leia's bunk as she tried fruitlessly to drown out the noise while Luke grumbled using the force to attempt to stop the noise but whatever it was, it didn't stop. Sighing, Luke got out of the perfectly comfortable bunk and position that he was in and went to manually shut off the noise. That's when he noticed the time and the note scrawled out in scratchy handwriting. It was entirely too early to attempt to make out what the note said but Luke was used to getting up before the suns. Instead, he used the force to switch on a light and attempted to make out what the note said again. There really was only one person who could have left this note in here.

"Turn off that light," Leia grumbled turning away from the light.

"Father left a note in here and I'm trying to read it," Luke told her.

Leia turned over to face him and squinted at him. "This early?" she questioned.

"It's not that early," Luke pointed out and turned the note over to see if it would read better that way.

"Well, what does it say?" Leia asked.

"I'm still trying to figure it out," Luke told her, turning the note again.

"Let me see that," Leia said reaching for the note.

"Good luck making it out," Luke said and handed the note over.

Leia's eyes widened. "How in the galaxy does a person read this?" she asked, seeing the horrible handwriting.

"Let me see it again, maybe I can make sense of it if I think about Tatooine references," Luke said and Leia handed the note back over to him. He stared at the note for a while before finally being able to make out letters. It took some guess work before he was able to decipher the handwriting. "He wants us to meet him in the mess hall, and he gave us a copy of the blueprints to the temple so that we could find our way there," he informed her before picking up a projectile device.

"Now?" Leia questioned and it almost sounded like a whine.

"I think that that is an accurate guess and I don't want to find out what he'll be like if we don't leave now," Luke answered.

Leia grumbled before leaving the comfortable bunk where she and Luke prepared themselves for the day by taking turns in the room before heading out in search of the mess hall. They each noted how quiet and still the temple was at this early hour. It seemed like they were the only ones awake at this time and that little fact aggravated Leia some since she would have much preferred to sleep more. Finally they found their way to the mess hall, finding it empty and quiet. Each twin stood in the doorway. Leia was about to complain when they heard something coming from the kitchen. Leia looked over at Luke who shrugged before they stepped over to the service line to peek into the kitchen and received a surprising sight. All the kitchen droids were turned off and slumped throughout the kitchen while their father was cooking.

"Now I've seen everything," Leia commented. Luke just shrugged.

"Have a seat you two, I'll be out shortly," their father called over his shoulder.

Luke then lead his sister to a nearby table laden with service ware for three where they sat down. Luke sitting patiently and calmly while Leia slumped in her seat with her arms crossed and holding back a biting remark about being woken up so early just to eat. However they didn't have to wait long as their father emerged from the kitchen, carrying a large serving tray holding various dishes of food and set it down in the middle of the table before taking his seat.

"Dig in," their father said.

Luke and Leia shared a look, clearly thinking that this was highly unusual. "You cook?" Luke asked dumbly.

"I'm not eating that," Leia said eying the food critically.

"Yes, I cook and don't stick your nose up at it, it may not be what they serve at the palace of Alderaan, but it is edible," Their father answered.

"What is it?" Leia asked skeptically.

"Is that cream of womprat soup?" Luke asked indicating a small pot in the center of the tray.

"Yes..."

"I haven't had that in years," Luke said eagerly, ladling himself out a bowl of the creamy soup.

"It's Mom's recipe," his father finished.

Leia eyed the other dishes on the tray. "Now we know what one is, what is the rest of this stuff?" she asked.

Her father pointed to a basket holding some kind of fruit. "That is pallies, they are typically only found on Tatooine and the temple only started carrying them when I begged Master Yoda to order some when I was ten. They're extremely tasteful," he began and pointed to something else. "That is dustcrepe, basically dry bread with a meat filling," he pointed to something else, "That is nausage, it's served with the dustcrepe," Luke eagerly helped himself to that next, grinning. Their father then pointed to something else, "Mom's famous lamta. I'm still trying to duplicate her recipe," he pointed to the last thing, "And for a sweet treat, zucca fruit pastry," he finished.

Leia eyed the food before looking at him dubiously. "This is why we were woken up before the rest of society?" she questioned.

"Yes," her father answered.

"Why?" Leia asked.

"Why?" her father repeated. "Do I need a reason to cook for you?" he asked. Leia raised an eyebrow and he sighed. "I see your point," he conceded. "I've spent your whole lives being the galaxies biggest sleemo and kung, second to the Emperor, and you have absolutely no reason to trust any of my good intentions," he said. "But that wasn't how I intended things to be," he added. At Luke's nod, who paused to stop eating to listen, he continued. "When your mother told me that she was pregnant, after I got over the initial shock and stopped thinking about the repercussions, I was ecstatic. I wanted to be a good father even if that meant resigning from the jedi order to do so and living a very boring life of a politicians consort. I want to make up for the lost years and so I came up with this idea late last night of setting aside some time every day as family time, this being it since our days will undoubtedly be busy," he finished.

Luke swallowed his food and looked over at Leia before looking at his father. "I think that is a good idea. Right, Leia?" he said.

Leia hated her brother for putting her on the spot like this and didn't say anything on the matter. "What origins is all this food from?" she asked instead.

Her father knew better than to expect readily agreement from Leia, so he just answered her question. "Tatooine which was my home for several years before I became a jedi," he answered.

"I figured as much," Luke said and poured himself a cup of blue milk from a pitcher before taking a drink. "I hope that you know that you have terrible handwriting," he added.

"So I've been told," his father sighed.

"It took me over ten minutes to decipher letters," Luke added.

His father rolled his eyes. "Finish eating," he said, choosing to ignore this timeless jab. He watched as Leia finally began to fill her plate and began eating.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Luke asked.

"My mother taught me," his father answered. He then looked over at Leia seeing her nibbling at some dustcrepe. "How is it?" he asked.

"Surprisingly, tasteful," Leia answered. "I suppose that you have an agenda for the day," she said.

"You're right," her father answered. "I've mapped out a detailed training schedule for you both. If we are going to take on Palpatine, we must be prepared," he finished.

"You're serious about killing him, aren't you?" Luke asked.

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life," his father answered.

--

* * *

Luke collapsed into one of the couches in the common room of their assigned quarters. He closed his eyes and laid back along the couch and draped an arm over his eyes, feeling Leia collapse into the couch opposite of him. Their father was a strict and hard task maker and pushed them just short of the breaking point today. The thing that didn't escape either twin's notice was that their father had yet to break a sweat. Luke and Leia breathed a sigh of relief when their father called it quits for the day and told them to head back to their quarters and he would be there shortly with something to eat from the temple's kitchen. Luke breathed in deeply before speaking. "You okay, Leia?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Leia replied.

Luke opened his eyes and removed his arm to look at her. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Luke," Leia told him.

"Leia..."

"What do you want me to say?" Leia demanded.

"We're in an unusual situation and teamed up with the one person we would have never even dared to team up with. I know that I'm still processing it..." Luke said.

"And I'm trying not to think about it," Leia told him.

"Ignoring it isn't going to help the situation, Leia," Luke told her.

Leia was saved from a response by the timely arrival of their father who had brought three platters of food from the kitchen. "I brought a little of everything that they were serving that is safe for humans to eat," their father said and set down two platters on the table between the couches and keeping one to himself.

Luke sat up and examined the food on one try. Most of it, albeit, all of it was something that he hadn't seen or tried before and he was unsure of how it would taste. He glanced to his right as his father took a seat next to him and began eating. "What is all of this?" he asked.

His father finished chewing what was in his mouth and swallowed before answering him, pointing to each thing on the tray as he listed off what it was. "That is glow blue noodles and chav, it's a new recipe that just came out from that popular holonet news chef Gormaanda. Master Shaak Ti watches her in her free time and always adds her recipes to the kitchen logs. That is a personal kruffy pot pie; basically meat and vegetables in a creamy gravy and baked in a crispy crust. That is berbersian crab. That is brogy stew with chili dumplings. And for dessert, citros snow cake," he said before going back to his food.

"I know what brogy stew is, I've just never seen it with dumplings," Luke said.

"Who serves stew without dumplings?" his father asked.

"Han likes his stews plain," Leia answered.

"I see," her father commented. But he didn't voice an opinion. He wouldn't because he didn't know Han Solo and the fact that his children held the space pirate in high esteem didn't escape him. But that didn't stop him from disapproving of the fact that Solo had dealings with Jabba the Hutt.

Luke and Leia exchanged a glance before Leia spoke up. "What do you usually do around here to relax?" she asked.

"Jedi meditate in order to relax," her father answered. But sensing his daughters dislike of that notion he added, "but there are other things around here that are recreational that could aid in relaxing."

"Like what?" Luke asked.

"There is a pool at the bottom of the temple. It's generally used for the classes that teach the younglings how to swim. But many jedi find that taking a swim can relax the muscles after an intense workout." and he sensed Leia's interest spike at the notion. "We'll head down there in an hour," he finished.

Luke held in a sigh at this declaration. He didn't want to voice his concerns, namely because the notion pleased Leia who loved to swim and hasn't been able to do so since the last time she was on Alderaan.

--

* * *

The Temple's pool was huge and was located just off of the famous room of a thousand fountains. The design of the pool was very calming, taking on the form of an artificial lagoon complete with a closed off section that resembled a cave. The only indications that the pool was artificial was the fact that it was inside and the diving board in the deeper section. The room itself took on a tropical feel with living plants and even grass. There were two doors off to the side, one marked for female and the other marked for male.

Upon entering the pool area, Leia gasped at it's beauty.

"There really isn't a place like this on Coruscant," her father said. "If you'll go through the door marked for female, you'll find a refresher and a changing room equipped with swimming gear," he said pointing out the door in question and headed over to the door marked male. He paused and turned around slightly. "Luke? Are you coming?" he asked.

Luke sighed. He didn't know how he would get out of this and followed his father through the door marked for males. He didn't say anything as he changed out of his normal clothes and put on a swimsuit, stuffing his clothes and lightsaber in a cubby. He took his time before approaching the pool afterwards. Leia had already entered the pool, enjoying it immensely. Their father was in the pool before Luke reached it and began swimming laps while Luke just took a seat at the edge, not bothering to get in. No one seemed to take the time to remember that he had been raised on Tatooine and hadn't even considered the notion that he didn't know how to swim. The deepest water that he had even been in was only knee deep.

"Aren't you going to get in the water?" Leia asked looking at her brother.

"I'm going to pass," Luke answered.

"Why?" Leia asked, swimming over to him.

Luke didn't want to tell her why. "I just don't feel like swimming," he answered.

"But it's relaxing," Leia pointed out, trying to convince him to get in.

"My idea of relaxation doesn't come in the form of submersing myself in water. Frankly, I find the idea of a swimming pool for relaxation to be a waste of water," Luke answered her.

Leia rolled her eyes. "It isn't a waste of water when there is plenty of water," she countered.

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Where on Coruscant is there a large natural body of water?" he asked.

"There isn't any anymore," Leia answered.

"Leia, I grew up on a moisture farm on Tatooine. I know how precious water is. I also know that when there aren't any bodies of water on a planet then any water that you can get must be used carefully. Uncle Owen drilled it into my head when I was very young to never waste water. And for someone with my background this _is_ a waste of water," Luke explained calmly.

Their father who had overheard the conversation swam over to the edge where Luke was sitting. "Actually Coruscant still holds and uses it's natural water," he informed them. "True, the natural bodies of water which at one time did cover most of the planet had been drained long ago in order for the city to grow, but the water is now stored underneath the city. In fact every building has it's own eco-system that uses this water and even the rainwater is recycled through the city's eco-system," he finished looking at Luke. "The information is in the Archives if you want to look it up," he added.

"So this really isn't a waste of water," Leia said looking at her brother.

Luke shook his head. "I'm still going to pass because to me this is a waste of water," he told them.

His father looked at him for a moment before a look of understanding showed on his face. "You don't have to get in if you feel that way," he said.

Luke looked relieved for a moment before he masked it. "Then I'm going to meditate," he said getting up from the edge of the pool and going over to a corner to quietly meditate by himself.

Leia looked worried for a moment as Luke left them, acutely aware of who she was alone with. But she didn't say anything.

Her father however looked over at her, sensing the turbulent emotions running through her. It saddened him that his daughter didn't want to be alone with him. Memories resurfaced in his mind, memories of a happier time, when Padmè was still pregnant. Here was the daughter that he had wanted and had insisted that they were having and she was afraid to be alone with him. "You don't have to stay either, but I am staying," he told her, unable to hide his emotions from his voice.

Leia looked at him, hearing the sadness in his voice at the thought of being left alone. She wondered if that was truly how he had felt. Utterly alone. She knew that the Emperor wasn't very welcoming and thrived on cruelty and that the same could be said about a great many Palpatine loyalists. Strangely she felt her heart go out to him at that thought. "I'll stay," she told him and then she saw him smile.

"You know, one of your mother's favorite past times was swimming. She was very good at it, she once told me about the fact that she was on a swimming team as a child," her father told her.

Leia smiled. That was one other thing that she shared in common with her mother other than her skill with politics. "What about you?" she asked.

"Water is my favorite element. It fascinated me when I first saw large quantities of it," her father told her. "However I've never been able to match your mother while swimming. It never bothered me that I wasn't as good as her. I just enjoyed being in the water, it wasn't a contest for me," he added. "I also understand where Luke is coming from. Water is precious and it shouldn't be taken for granted. Twenty-four years in that blasted suit and being forced to live on artificial means gave me a greater appreciation for the feel of water," he finished.

"Among other things, I bet," Leia replied imagining the kind of torment that suit could be.

"Among other things," her father agreed. "I have Obi-Wan to thank for teaching me that one last lesson," he added quietly.

* * *


	4. Transition

**A/N:**_ Sorry if this chapter seems childish. But I've just been in that kind of mood lately. _

* * *

Luke was grateful when Leia decided that she had done enough swimming and that their father was in agreement. He hoped that they wouldn't go back to the pool for a while. He didn't know how long he could keep passing it up. He didn't know how many excuses he could come up with. However as he was about to enter the room that he was sharing with Leia, he felt a hand on his arm.

"A word," his father said.

Leia paused and looked at her brother who just nodded at her to go ahead, which she did, feeling that nothing nefarious would happen.

Luke turned to his father. "What do you want to discuss?" he asked.

"You don't know how to swim, do you?" his father asked.

"Why do you ask?" Luke asked.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that a person raised on Tatooine wouldn't know how to swim. Particularity someone who's been to Tatooine," his father said. "And for some reason you don't want Leia to know about this or else you would have said so instead of listing off reasonable excuses," he added, reading him easily.

"For Leia, not knowing how to swim is not normal," Luke said reasonably.

"But it _is_ normal for you, yet, you are acting as though it is shameful," his father countered.

"More embarrassed," Luke countered.

His father nodded, formulating something in his mind. "Go to bed and get some rest," he said.

Luke turned around and went into the bedroom to join Leia, knowing that the conversation was over and he was relieved.

--

Luke was having a reasonably good nights rest when he was awoken by a presence in his room and a hand covered his mouth. Snapping his eyes open, he could make out the form of his father through the city's artificial light seeping through the window.

"Get dressed and come with me," his father instructed quietly.

"And Leia?" Luke asked, keeping his voice low.

"Let her sleep," his father said and left the room.

Luke glanced over at the crono seeing the Coruscant time measurement to be two in the morning. Closing his eyes, he calculated what time it could be on Tatooine, realizing that he would be getting up at this hour anyway. Quietly, he got dressed before entering the common room where his father was standing. "Is there a reason why you have woken me up in only the second hour," he asked.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson," his father said walking to the door.

Luke looked at him wondering what this lesson was and followed his father out the door. "What about Leia?" he asked.

"Leia doesn't need this kind of lesson," his father told him and didn't say anything further.

Luke followed him, his mind going a mile a minute and grew cautious when his father lead him to the pool. "Is this really necessary?" he asked.

"Knowing how to swim is a valuable skill for a jedi. You will never know when you'll need it," his father told him.

"And this is important enough to do this in the second hour?" Luke asked doubtfully.

"I was under the impression that you didn't want Leia to know," his father explained.

"Why are you doing this?" Luke asked.

"Would you rather drown when you would be forced into a situation that includes water?" his father asked.

"Not particularly," Luke answered.

"Then get changed," his father commanded.

Luke wasn't particularly thrilled with this but he didn't argue. He could see the reason to learning how to swim. So he left the main pool deck to change, taking his time as he did so in his way of delaying the inevitable. When he entered the pool deck again, his father was already in the pool, waiting. "On a scale of one to ten, how important is this really?" he asked.

His father gave him an exasperated look. "Are you always this difficult?" he asked.

"Only when I'm about to do something that I don't want to do," Luke answered. "Uncle Owen used to lecture me about it. Even Master Yoda tried to drill it out of me," he commented, taking a seat at the edge of the pool to ease himself in.

"Careful," his father warned a second before Luke managed to ease himself into the deeper part of the pool, however, before Luke could go under his father caught him and pulled him over to a shallower area. "We'll work on the different strokes first," he said and Luke nodded.

--

Leia awoke, finding herself alone. After getting dressed, she not only found that Luke wasn't here but neither was her father. She didn't take a minute to wonder where they had gone. She knew where they were at this time, she just didn't know why they didn't wake her or wait for her before leaving.

When she found her way to the cafeteria, she saw the same table set for three and heard voices from the kitchen. Upon inspection she found Luke cooking with their father. Leia was unable to squash the feelings of betrayal at seeing this or the hurt feelings of being left out. That was when Luke laughed at something that their father had said.

"I didn't find that to be too funny," their father stated dryly.

Luke was about to make a reply when he spotted Leia and walked over to her, uncertain of what to make of the expression on her face. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly as the only thing really separating them being the service counter.

Leia caught the brief look that their father threw in the direction before he went back to cooking. She looked Luke in the eye. "I'm fine," she told him.

Luke didn't seem to believe her, reading a little more into her demeanor than she would have liked. "Then what was that lost look about?" he asked in a whisper so that only she could hear.

"It's nothing," Leia told him dismissively and Luke didn't seem to believe this either because he looked at her with concern.

"You know that you can tell me anything," Luke told her.

"Can I?" Leia challenged.

Luke caught the way that her eyes glanced in the direction of their father and he knew what this was about. "Since when has that changed?" he challenged back.

Leia cast her eyes downward but didn't say anything.

Luke briefly glanced behind him, feeling reassured that their father didn't seem to be paying attention before moving out from behind the counter and put his hand on Leia's arm, steering her all the way to the other side of the cafeteria. "What is this about?" he asked.

"What are you doing, Luke?" Leia asked.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"Why are you so chummy with him?" Leia asked.

Luke looked at her for a moment, trying to judge on what had brought this on, however knowing Leia it could be anything. "Would you rather we spend our entire time here in a fight or would you rather do something productive?" he challenged.

"Luke, you know what he has done. How can you trust his motives?" Leia asked.

"The force is telling me to, Leia," Luke told her.

"Luke, think about everything he has put us through, please just think about that," Leia begged.

"He isn't like that anymore," Luke told her.

"How can you be so sure?" Leia asked.

"Because I can feel it. I know the difference between both sides, Leia," Luke told her. "Lets sit down and talk about this," he said, ushering her into a sat before taking a seat himself. "I know what you're going through," he told her.

"No you don't," Leia told him.

"Leia, do you remember how I was when we escaped Bespin?" Luke asked.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Leia asked.

"Think about it," Luke told her.

Leia looked him in the eye and remembered the haunted look in them as they escaped. "What did he do to you?" she asked.

"We fought, he taunted me, he tried to freeze me in carbonate, we fought again, he cut off my hand and told me who he was before he attempted to lure me to the dark side. From where I was and the point I was at, it was either join him or die. I chose death and I made sure that he knew it before I jumped. But at that moment, everything that I knew had been twisted and turned upside down. I went through a moment of not really knowing who I was and I had doubts before I was ready to move on from it," Luke told her. "And you are going through the same thing," he added.

"It's not so easy to be in the same room with a man who has tortured me twice and act like it didn't happen," Leia told him.

"And I'm sure that we're not the only ones who has some sort of scars inflicted on us by Vader," Luke told her.

"No, but who he is to us makes it that much harder to accept," Leia told him.

Luke didn't say anything to counter that, knowing the truth in her words. He just looked over his shoulder towards the kitchen where their father was still cooking.

--

Obi-Wan Kenobi sighed deeply, content to be just floating through hyperspace. He took this brief time of peace to commune with the force, however his peaceful moment was interrupted by the voice of his padawan through the intercom.

"I'm bored, Master."

Obi-Wan mentally sighed. "I am not going to break from hyperspace to race with you, Anakin," he said sternly.

"Why do you hate flying so much, Master?" Anakin asked.

"I do not hate flying," Obi-Wan told him, not answering the question.

"Yes you do, you just don't want to admit it to me," Anakin countered.

"You knew that we would be in hyperspace for a full day, Anakin, why didn't you bring something to occupy yourself with?" Obi-Wan asked sternly, changing the topic slightly.

"Because I don't like anything that is unnecessary in the cockpit when I'm flying," Anakin answered.

"Why don't you meditate," Obi-Wan suggested and he could almost see the scowl on Anakin's face at the suggestion. He heard Anakin grumble something and he smiled to himself knowing that he was about to win this round. "In fact that was what I was doing when you rudely interrupted me," he added.

"I won't interrupt you again, Master," Anakin said and Obi-Wan could hear the carefully hidden annoyed tone in his voice.

"See that you don't," Obi-Wan told him, closing his eyes in quiet meditation.

--

Leia tilted her head to the side, just as Luck scratched his head. Both trying to be as quiet as they could despite the awful sound in the room. Leia turned to Luke and raised an eyebrow. "How long do you think we've got?" she whispered softly, hoping that her brother had heard her over the noise.

Luke looked back to the sight before him. "Judging by the sound of his snores and his even breathing, I assume that he'll be out for a while," he whispered back.

Leia nodded before looking back at where their father was passed out on the couch and snoring bad enough and loud enough to wake the dead. "Then lets make the best of our time," she decided and Luke grinned.

"I have an idea," he said in a conspiratorial tone.

Half an hour later, both twins were chuckling at the picture of their father waking up to find himself covered in various things ranging from shaving cream to marked drawings as they made their way through the temple.

"I can't believe that I did something so childish," Leia told him.

"Neither can I," Luke agreed. "But I really couldn't pass up that opportunity," he added.

"No, neither could I," Leia agreed. "I almost feel sorry that we'll miss his reaction," she said.

"That would be priceless," Luke said, "However it might be wise if we stayed away for a while to let him cool down," he added. He then smiled. "Can you picture Han's reaction if someone did that to him?" he asked and Leia burst out laughing, causing several jedi to look at them funny. Luke smiled to himself, pleased that he had gotten her into a good mood. "So where to?" he asked looking around.

"I've heard from my father that the jedi temple had an impressive room of a thousand fountains," Leia told him.

Luke ignored her reference, hoping that she would have enough sense not to use it around their father before replying. "Does it really have a thousand fountains?" he asked, interested.

"I don't know. Do you want to check it out?" Leia replied.

"I've never seen a fountain," Luke told her in way of agreeing.

Leia smiled before frowning. "I don't think that it would be wise to ask for directions then," she said.

Luke noticed this too and shared her concern. He then reached into his belt before smiling. "No, but we do have blueprints," he said and Leia smiled.

--

Luke gaped once they found the room of a thousand fountains. It really did look like it held a thousand fountains and each one of them sprouted sparkling water.

"Close your moth, you look like a fish," Leia hissed, seeing the other jedi present in the room.

"Sorry," Luke replied. "I just never seen anything so..."

"Impressive," Leia put in.

"Yeah, that," Luke agreed as they moved through the room, looking for a secluded fountain, finding one that suited them fine and liking how it was a little closed off. They each took a seat by it, on the soft grass. Luke closed his eyes blissfully as he could feel just how calming this room was. "How could something so peaceful be justified in being destroyed?" he asked.

"I don't know," Leia said looking at the water in the fountain. "Just think that this would all be gone in three years," she commented softly.

Luke nodded solemnly. "We have to stop it," he said determinedly.

"Even if we have to..." Leia couldn't finish her sentience, continuing to stare into the fountain, seeing a fish appearer in the water, staring at them expectantly.

"Troubled, your thoughts are," a voice said from behind them.

Luke and Leia turned to see Master Yoda standing behind them, leaning heavily on his gimer stick. Luke was about to stand when Master Yoda put a hand out to stop him.

"Need for formalities there is not," Master Yoda said. "Speak to you I will. Understand I do, that know what you are doing you do not," he said.

"Yes Master," Luke said, staying where he was.

"Like sweets do you?" Master Yoda asked.

Luke and Leia looked at each other before looking back at Master Yoda, nodding.

Master Yoda reached into a pocket and pulled out two candies and handed them to them.

"Thank you," Leia said, speaking for both her and Luke as they took the candies.

"Your story, I wish to hear," Master Yoda pronounced as he took a seat on a rock.

"I don't think that this is just our story to tell," Luke said.

"Protecting your father are you?" Master Yoda asked and both Luke and Leia gave him a stunned look. "Blind I am not, see the resemblance between you and he I do. Sense in you his power level I do," Master Yoda chastised them.

"Yes Master," Luke said while Leia looked stunned.

"I don't..."

Master Yoda interrupted her. "Strong in the force you are. Impossible not to be and be the child of Anakin Skywalker at the same time it is," he said.

"What do you want to know, Master?" Luke asked, prepared to tell what he knew of the story.

"What you know I wish to hear," Master Yoda said.

--

At another part in the temple the man formally known as both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader woke up from what he would describe as a restful nap. However he felt that something was off. Lifting one hand, he found it covered in some sort of food while his other felt like it was in water. Reaching that hand up, he touched his face and the top of his head before letting out a vial oath at finding himself covering in not only food but shaving cream. Just when he thought that he could take a peaceful nap, he wakes up to this. Grumbling to himself, he moved off of the couch carefully so that he didn't make a mess but that was unavoidable and he cursed again. "One would think that they would know who they were messing with already," he grumbled as he dripped all the way to the refresher, planning his revenge along the way.

--

When Luke and Leia returned to the quarters that they were sharing with their father, they found it as dark as it was outside the temple. The artificial city light pouring through the blinds covering the window. Enough light showed itself for them to see the trail of mess from the couch and into the refresher. Shrugging to each other, they made their way quietly to the room that they were sharing. However the moment that the door closed, they each jumped at hearing the steal like voice.

"I hope that the two of you enjoyed that little stunt," their father said from somewhere in the room. "Because what comes around goes around and you each know just how creative I can be," he added darkly.

"If you are trying to intimidate us, it isn't working," Leia told him as Luke flipped on the light switch, revealing where their father had been sitting, propped up on one of the bunks.

"I'm not trying anything. I'm just giving you a fair warning this time," their father said, standing up. "Be prepared for anything," he warned before leaving.

Luke shook his head. "Not so menacing without the suit," he commented.

"Whatever he has planned, we'll need to find a way to fight it off," Leia commented.

Luke smiled grimly. "Two against one doesn't seem fair," he commented.

Leia looked at him. "Since when do we have to be fair?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Luke just grinned.

--

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and looked over at his padawan tiredly. "Anakin, forget about fixing that for the night and get some sleep. We have to report to the council first thing in the morning," he commanded.

"I can't leave this navi-computer in this condition, Master," Anakin told him stubbornly.

"That is your fault for adjusting your lightsaber inside of a cockpit. How many times have I told you to bring something useful to occupy yourself with when you know that you will be in hyperspace for a while? You are lucky that you even made it here safely with that navi-computer in the state that it's in" Obi-Wan lectured.

"Not another lecture, Master," Anakin groaned.

"You wouldn't need a lecture if you actually payed attention and learned something rather than being irresponsible and reckless," Obi-Wan told him and he knew that Anakin was rolling his eyes and mocking him while he was immersed in the cockpit. How he had gotten stuck with the most difficult padawan in history was just a cruel trick of the force. "If you do not get out of that cockpit and get some rest then I will be forced to tell Master Windu how exactly he ended up tripping and falling down a flight of stairs," he threatened, resorting to the time old strategy when dealing with a stubborn padawan.

"You wouldn't," Anakin said, looking straight at him.

"I'm sure that he would figure out a suitable punishment for that one," Obi-Wan told him, crossing his arms over his chest.

Anakin glowered at him but knew better than to think that this was an idle threat and left the cockpit. "That was eight years ago, I'm sure he's forgotten about that," he said.

"Not if I remind him," Obi-Wan told him. "I will be waking you up at 0700 hours," he said, knowing very well that Anakin would try to sleep in.

* * *


	5. When Future And Past Meet

**A/N:**_ So the two Anakin's meet. For future clerification. Older Anakin will be using an alias. There is a reason that I haven't called him Anakin in this story. To ease any confusion. Young Anakin will continue being called Anakin while Older Anakin will have the alias. _

_Many thanks to General-Joseph-Dickson for his continued help and support through all my writing. I truely don't know what I would do without him sometimes. _

* * *

Nineteen year old Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker groaned and fitfully pulled the covers over his head, drowning out the annoyingly chirpy voice of his master. How anyone could get up at this hour and be chirpy about it was madness, just pure madness. " Go away," he snapped.

"It is time for you to get up, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him, his tone booking no room for any argument.

"Too early," And grumbled, rolling over. He frowned when the covers were yanked off of him. He made a desperate grab at them and then tried pulling them back with the force but Obi-Wan held them firmly in his grasp. "Master, it's cold," he whined.

"All the more reason for you to get out of bed and get dressed," Obi-Wan told him unconcerned.

Anakin grumbled as he got up out of bed.

"We have a council meeting after lunch so we have a full morning to go through some exorcises. First on the agenda would be some meditation," Obi-Wan told him.

Anakin inwardly cursed. He hated meditating. But try telling that to Obi-Wan and he would schedule more of it. He made a point to get dressed as slowly as ever in a way to prolong the inevitable but once he was done, he met Obi-Wan in the common room of their quarters where he proceeded to take the standard position for meditating, all the while still tired from his late night research and studying as well as his late night snack. When he was about to doze off in the middle of meditating, he was rudely brought to alertness by a smack in the back of his head. Anakin glared at Obi-Wan.

"If you didn't stay up so late then you would be properly alert," Obi-Wan chastised. "I told you that I was going to wake you up at this time..."

"I'm too tired for this, I'm going back to bed," Anakin groaned, standing up but Obi-Wan pulled him back down.

"Oh no you don't. Your going to go through this exorcise and stay awake," Obi-Wan ordered and Anakin glowered at him.

* * *

"It sure is crowded in here," Leia commented as she and Luke looked for a free table, which all of them seemed to be taken up.

Luke was too busy thinking about the fact that he was in the presence of so many jedi that he didn't really pay attention to what Leia had said.

"There's a table in the back," their father said, making sure that the cowl of his cloak was keeping his face properly hidden and balanced the tray of food in his hands at the same time.

"Nice way to keep your anonymity, make yourself stand out," Leia said sarcastically, taking note of how no one else were keeping their cowls up and how many jedi stared at them. Her father gave her a sharp look but didn't say anything as they made their way to the table in the back.

"About how many jedi are alive?" Luke asked as they took a seat.

"Only about ten thousand," his father answered.

"Only?" Leia questioned.

"In the ancient days before the Great Jedi Purge there was more. A great many more," their father clarified.

"How many die in the Clone Wars?" Luke asked.

"Twenty one died on Geonosis and nearly half of the order died during the war. The Purges was part of the closing of the war," their father answered. "Mind you, both sides were orchestrated by Palpatine so it is unclear how many Jedi he had planned to have killed during the war and how many he would kill with the Purge," he added.

"Don't dis-include yourself from the Purge," Leia told him pointedly.

"I was merely just another one of his pawns that he used to archive his goals," their father told her.

"Out of hibernation are you?"

The three of them turned to Master Yoda who had taken a seat at their table. "Wish to speak to you I do," he said in way of inviting himself.

"Of course, Master," Luke said while Leia made a face at what Master Yoda chose to eat.

Their father didn't say anything, he just took a bite of nerf steak and chewed slowly.

"Failed you did we?" Mater Yoda asked looking straight in the older Skywalker's eyes.

This question took him off guard as he swallowed. "You think that you failed me?" he asked quite surprised and a little shocked. "No one failed me, Master. I alone can take responsibility for my actions."

Master Yoda's ears folded in. "Always the responsibility of the master are the underlings. Responsibility for their training, for their actions. Take responsibility for the fallen ones the ancient Jedi masters did not. For Exar Kun, For Ulic Qel-Droma, for Revan and Malak, and for the Exile. Destruction of the Order, their teachings and irresponsibilities led them. All of seven Jedi remained to rebuild the Order. Inexperienced five of them were. Destroyed the Order was. Fail, the way they once had, did I?" he said.

Luke and Leia looked at their father to see his unreadable expression as he digested this. "I think that my situation was different," their father said at last.

"Bahh," Master Yoda dismissed. "Different, all situations are. Never the same reasons for joining the dark side do they have. To protect the Republic, Revan and his followers left to do. Lust for power Exar Kun had. Preserve the history of the Jedi during the purges, Master Atris wanted. Different, all of their situations were. All breed the same results," he said. "For each act, you see, is like a fossil, preserved in the Force as – aiee! Stop! Stop! Eating this I am!" He finished as a kitchen droid came up and grabbed the bowl that Master Yoda was eating out of.

"This bowl contains a substance my sensors cannot identify as food. Please wait here, and I will bring you one of today's specials," the droid said beginning to wheel away with Master Yoda's food.

Master Yoda wore an inscrutable expression as he raised a hand and used to Force to not only bring his food back to him but to also shut down the droid. "Like your sense of humor I do not," he said grumpily to the older Skywalker.

"I still don't consider that to be food," the older Skywalker replied.

"Humph!" Master Yoda replied. "Never let you build temple droids should I have!"

"Master Yoda, wouldn't you consider that what you just did to be hypocritical?" Luke asked earning him a glare from Master Yoda.

"Hypocritical am I? Hmmm?" Master Yoda demanded.

"Talking back to the Grand Master? Not even I am that disrespectful," his father commented.

"Master Yoda, you just used the Force for personal gain and you had said so yourself that that can lead to the dark side," Luke argued.

"Humph! Saved my taste buds from the evils of the kitchen droids did I!" Master Yoda said in defense.

"Can I take it that you cut yourself above us all and excuse yourself from abusing the Force?" Luke argued. "It doesn't matter who you are, the Force shouldn't be abused. It should be used to help others, not for personal gain," he finished.

For a minute everyone thought that Master Yoda was upset at Luke's challenge, before he smiled. "Taught you well, I did," Master Yoda said. "Wise Jedi are you. Wise and powerful," he commented.

That was the moment that the older Skywalker's eyes caught two Jedi entering the cafeteria, the younger one a little cross and tired in appearance. "I hadn't considered how weird this would feel," he commented.

"What do you mean?" Leia asked and turned in the direction that her father was looking, so did Luke.

"A council meeting I must attend. Your assignment I will give you, find the answers that you seek you will," Master Yoda said before hobbling away to join his fellow council members making everyone at the table frown.

* * *

_Just how much detail must be reported?_ Anakin fought the urge to roll his eyes and interrupt as Obi-Wan gave the council a detailed report of their latest mission. _Just get on with it_, he thought in frustration. He could feel scrutinizing eyes on him from Master Windu's direction so he forced an outward appearance of calm and patience despite the fact that his patience was wearing thin. Reporting to the council had to be the most boring aspects of being a Jedi. That and meditation. Which Jedi master was it that said that meditation was the best way to retain one's calm anyway? He could think of better ways than meditation. However, there wasn't a Jedi master alive who would listen to that. No, they just all stuck to this ancient code and never stepped away from it. To them being a jedi meant sticking to the code more than doing anything to better serve the galaxy. They were too busy serving the code rather than serving the force. There were flaws in the code, why couldn't anyone see that?? The whole attachments leading to the dark side is bantha poodoo! Damn near every Jedi disobeys that rule, yet, the council won't admit to it. They wouldn't even let him go free his mother from slavery! He felt sorry for the younglings, they didn't get tucked in at night by parents who loved them, they never felt loved like he had. They weren't allowed to feel love. He didn't understand how love could be evil. One other thing that irked him was the constant answering to a senate full of corrupt politicians. If the jedi weren't supposed to be corrupt then why did they answer to the senate?

"Do you have anything to add, Padawan Skywalker?" Master Windu asked, snapping Anakin out of his thoughts.

"What?" he asked dumbly.

"Your thoughts, what are they," Master Windu asked, a little impatient.

_Do you really want to know, Master Windu?_ "I have nothing to add, Master. Master Obi-Wan has said enough," Anakin said instead, earning him a sharp glance from Obi-Wan.

"Then you are dismissed," Master Windu told them.

That is when Master Yoda spoke up. "Obi-Wan, a word with you and your padawan," he said, getting up from his council seat and walking with them out of the council chambers.

"What is it, Master?" Obi-Wan asked.

"A special assignment I have for you," Master Yoda said. "Three Jedi are staying in the dignitary quarters, work with them you will until further notice," he told them.

"Who are they?" Anakin asked.

"All that you need to know, they will tell you. Go now, meet them you will," Master Yoda told them, hobbling away.

"Something sounds fishy," Anakin said looking at Obi-Wan.

"You don't know that for sure, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him dismissively.

"You don't find this strange?" Anakin demanded.

"I choose not to judge a situation until I have some facts," Obi-Wan told him.

* * *

"So what did Yoda mean? That we'll find the answer to what we need to do in our new assignment?" Leia asked.

"He didn't exactly give us one though," Luke said and both twins turned to their father.

"It means that we need to think quickly on what we're about to say. Obi-Wan and I are on our way here as we speak," their father answered.

"Really? How do you know?" Luke asked, excitement at seeing Obi-Wan again even if this Obi-Wan didn't know who he was.

"Because Master Yoda just told them that they will be working with us until further notice," his father answered.

"That doesn't explain how you know," Leia pointed out.

Her father looked at her. "Do I really need to explain myself?" he asked.

That was the moment that the door chimed and Luke went over to open it. There were just two people there. One older man, human with red hair and beard who chose to dress in the light tans of the typical jedi order. The other was a much taller human with dark blond hair cut short with a thin braid down the side, he was younger and chose to stand out by wearing dark browns. Both men looked at Luke before the older one spoke. "Master Yoda sent us here, would you mind if we came in?" he asked in a perfectly refined Coruscant accent.

Luke tore his eyes away from both men and stepped aside. "Of course," he said and closed the door after they had entered and stood in the middle of the room. Luke walked over and stood next his father while Leia took up the other side. The two visitors stood in front of them while the younger of the two watched them, obviously measuring them up.

"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is my padawan..." Obi-Wan said introducing himself and turned towards the younger one who spoke up, interrupting them.

"Anakin Skywalker," the younger jedi said.

"I know who you are," Luke and Leia's father said. Obi-Wan and Anakin both raised their eyebrows at this but before they could question this he continued. "My name is Aaron Starkiller, and these are my padawans..." he turned to Luke and Leia each.

"I'm Luke Lars," Luke said speaking up.

"Leia Solo," Leia said introducing herself. Her father looked at her sharply at that.

"Two padawans? I don't think that the council allows that," Anakin said, pointing out that little fact.

"It is curious," Obi-Wan said.

Starkiller motioned for them to have a seat. "I'll explain," he said and took a seat as did the others on the two couches with Luke and Leia on either side of him and Obi-Wan and Anakin on the other. "From where we come from we are the only Jedi left alive," he said.

"That's impossible," Anakin stated, a little miffed that this stranger would suggest that.

Obi-Wan turned to his apprentice. "Mind your outbursts, Anakin," he warned.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied.

Obi-Wan turned to the others. "How can that be possible?" he asked.

"Because we are not from this time line. The time that we come from is what is known as the dark times. We have only just triumphed over the sith when we were transported here," Starkiller explained.

"Curious," Obi-Wan commented. "Care to explain why you three are the only Jedi?" he asked.

"Of course," Starkiller said. "Three years down the road in this timeline would be the time when what is known as the purges take place and the sith take over the galaxy. Only two Jedi survive these purges while the Sith rule the galaxy in what is known as The Empire," he finished.

"That is disturbing," Obi-Wan said.

"Master, you don't actually believe this rubbish, do you?" Anakin asked incredulously, looking at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan turned to Anakin. "We will talk about this later," he said sternly.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied grudgingly.

The others watched this exchange. Luke watched with interest while Leia studied them. For Leia seeing her father's unmarred face brought about mixed emotions. She couldn't deny her parentage anymore. She saw so many of her own features in his and some of Luke's as well. She nearly jumped when her father leaned over, close to her and whispered in her ear, "Your intense staring is becoming uncomfortable," before he returned his attention to Obi-Wan.

"You say that the Sith will take over in three years?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes," Starkiller replied.

"How can that be?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Are you aware of what is happening politically across the galaxy?" Starkiller asked.

"I don't exactly pay attention to politics," Obi-Wan admitted. "That whole atmosphere is too dirty and corrupt for my taste," he finished.

The corners of Starkiller's mouth twitched some as he suppressed a smile. "Yes, so I remember," he commented.

Obi-Wan looked at him quizzically, getting a feeling of familiarity that stood between him and Starkiller. "Have we met before?" he asked.

"We knew each other a long time ago, Obi-Wan. In fact we knew each other quite well," Starkiller told him cryptically.

"You will have to excuse my memory then," Obi-Wan told him.

"What happened to you face?" Anakin asked after staring at Starkiller intently.

There was stunned silence as both Luke and Leia turned their attention to their father, each expecting him to do or say something rather hotly while Obi-Wan turned to Anakin sharply.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan snapped. Anakin had the decency to look away momentarily. "I have warned you about our outbursts before..." Obi-Wan said beginning the lecture.

"It's all right, Obi-Wan," Starkiller said interrupting the lecture. "I can answer him and you could consider this a lesson," he said.

Obi-Wan looked at him. "If you feel comfortable," he said.

Starkiller looked Anakin in the eye as he spoke. "I was in an a battle on a volcanic planet called Mustafar when I was twenty-two. My opponent managed to disarm me when I made a stupid move out of arrogance by trying to flip over him to get the higher ground. Only I ended up immobilized at the edge of a lava river. My clothing then caught on fire while I was immobilized and I ended up burning alive and unable to do anything about it," he told him bluntly, leaving out certain details.

The horror that Anakin was feeling at that story showed on his face. "And you survived that?" he asked skeptically.

Starkiller smiled but it wasn't a happy smile nor a friendly smile. "Much to the horror and disappointment of the entire galaxy," he answered. "My opponent didn't have it in him to kill me, he just turned his back and walked away after picking up my lightsaber, taking it with him. For twenty something years I wondered if he could hear me screaming in agony in his sleep and the thought of his suffering brought a smile to my face," he added.

"That is terrible," Anakin told him. "To feed off of someone else's suffering is monstrous," he told him frowning.

"At that point, I didn't care," Starkiller told him.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "I hope that that cleared your curiosity, Anakin," he said disdainfully.

"It did, Master," Anakin said taking his eyes off of Starkiller.

"Then can we get back to the topic at hand? Without further outbursts," Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied.

Obi-Wan turned his attention back on Starkiller. "What does what is going on in politics have to do with these purges that you speak of?" he asked.

"Everything," Leia said speaking up.

"You are aware of the Confederacy of Independent Systems lead by Count Dooku are you not?" Starkiller asked.

"Who isn't?" Obi-Wan replied.

"Very soon a war will break out between the Republic and the CIS. A war the will result in the Republic being turned into an empire ruled by the Sith," Starkiller informed him.

"Impossible! There hasn't been a war since the Ruusan Reformation nine hundred and seventy eight years ago," Anakin snapped, earning him a sharp warning look from Obi-Wan but he ignored it. "Besides even if there will be a war, which I highly doubt, how can the Sith take over? They're hiding like cowards and there are far more Jedi than Sith. Neither leader of the Republic and the CIS are Sith," he argued.

Luke and Leia shared a look, each wearing identical expression saying that Anakin was too naive. Looks that was not lost on Obi-Wan or Anakin.

"All will reveal itself in due time," Starkiller said cryptically. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have some training to do," he said standing up.

Obi-Wan and Anakin stood as well, prepared to leave. "You have given us something to think about, Master Starkiller," Obi-Wan said.

"I'm not a master," Starkiller corrected him and Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "I was never given that rank by the council," he explained.

"Still, we have much to think about," Obi-Wan told him and turned to leave with Anakin following him. Once they were out of ear shot Luke and Leia looked at each other.

"I don't think they believed us," Luke said.

"No, they didn't. But Obi-Wan will not question Master Yoda so that will work in our favor," Starkiller told them.

"And you?" Leia questioned.

"That in itself will be the challenge," Starkiller said knowing just how much of a challenge they have on their hands.

* * *

"I have never heard such nonsense in my life," Anakin ground out.

"Mind your thoughts, Anakin," Obi-Wan warned.

"Don't tell me that you believed that sack of bantha poodoo!" Anakin snapped. "Master, they are obviously covering something up if they are telling such a story!"

"Master Yoda trusts them and I am sure that he has heard the same story," Obi-Wan told him.

"That doesn't mean a thing," Anakin told him.

"Anakin, think about it. When have you ever known someone to actually, successfully pull one over Master Yoda?" Obi-Wan countered.

"Well... there's a first time for everything," Anakin replied.

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Master Yoda gave us this assignment for a reason. What that reason is, I don't know. But I trust Master Yoda's reasoning. You should too," he said.

"I don't trust them," Anakin grumbled. "They're hiding something, I can feel it," he said.

Obi-Wan didn't say anything to that for he felt that too but he felt something else, something familiar about them. What that was, he couldn't put his finger on but he would find that out.


	6. Lessons Part One

**A/N:**_ One more chapter. Sorry for not updating in a while. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm making it part one of a double chapter.  
_

* * *

Jedi Master Mace Windu caught up with Master Yoda in the corridor as he guided the members of Bear Clan towards their night master, Master Gormta. He waited until the younglings had bid Master Yoda a good night before he addressed the Grand Master with a concern of his.

"Troubled you are," Master Yoda observed.

"I want to know why you assigned three Jedi that the council had never heard of to be working with Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan," Mace told him.

"Learn from one another they can," Master Yoda answered.

"That doesn't excuse the fact that the council knows nothing about them, they aren't even on the temple's registry," Mace told him.

"My doing that is," Master Yoda told him. "Took their names off, I did," he informed him.

"To what purpose?" Mace demanded.

"See things we cannot, can they. Sent them away I did. Found out who the Sith are they did," Master Yoda explained.

"Then why hasn't the council been informed of this??" Mace demanded.

"For the preservation of the order and the Republic, official this information cannot be," Master Yoda told him strictly.

"It can't possibly be that bad," Mace told him. "If it were we would have known," he said.

"Impossible to see it has been. Clouded our vision has been, clouded by the Dark Side," Master Yoda told him.

"And theirs hasn't?" Mace demanded.

"See past the dark cloud do they," Master Yoda told him.

"Do they know who the Sith are?" Mace asked.

"Tell you I will, speak of this you will not," Master Yoda said.

"Is that really necessary?" Mace asked.

"Until the time is right, know others cannot," Master Yoda told him.

"I don't like this," Mace told him and Master Yoda beckoned him to come closer which he did.

"Chancellor Palpatine, Darth Sidious he is," Master Yoda told him quietly.

Mace looked at him incredulously. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"A long time, have I sensed the Dark Side near him, hovering," Master Yoda confirmed.

"Then we must be extra careful," Mace said, knowing just how precarious and dangerous this situation was. He saw Master Yoda's reasons behind keeping this secret and understood it. "I still think that at least the council should know," he said.

"Consider this I will," Master Yoda told him, not giving a definite answer.

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Leia ran through several drills, relaying on her years of combat training to properly learn how to wield a lightsaber, having an easier time learning this than when she received lessons on the force itself. Luke constantly told her to let go of her conscious self and to just feel but it was easer said than done. Their father had expected her to grasp it far quicker than it was taking for her and often grew impatient, calling the lessons off, muttering about how stubborn she was or how she just refused to listen. But Luke sat with her at night and gave her personal lessons, showing a great more patience than their father.

After she had properly gone through the drills, her father walked over appraisingly. "You learn quickly," he said. "Lets see just how much you have learned then," he said, grasping his lightsaber and igniting it.

Leia eyed the blade of his lightsaber but in a split second she had to defend herself against a rather harmful blow, relying on her quick reflexes to defend herself blow after blow. She barely acknowledged herself as keeping up with a more skilled warrior, all she could think about was defending herself, determined not to let him win. She was wholly unprepared when he knocked her lightsaber from her hands and used the force against her, force shoving her back. Because she hadn't expected this and that she hasn't fully grasped any usage of the force yet, she had no defense to this and helplessly slammed against a wall while her lightsaber fell at another end of the room. However before she could pick herself up, he started advancing on her, lightsaber drawn. She eyed him carefully, calculating her defense. When he was in range and was about to strike, she kicked out, aiming and hitting a rather delicate spot, making him drop his lightsaber and drop to his knees, holding himself with a painful groan. Quickly, she got up, picking up his lightsaber and holding the blade close to his throat.

Luke, meanwhile was laughing, having anticipated that move from his sister. "Artoo should have been here to record that," he said as he leaned against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Then we would have had Threepio commenting," Leia said, looking at her brother.

"Threepio means well," Luke pointed out.

"You just have a soft spot for those two droids," Leia pointed out.

"If it weren't for Threepio and Artoo, we would have been squished to death in that trash compacter on the Death Star," Luke pointed out.

"And they had the comlink you had given them turned off or have you forgotten just how long it took for you to get them to respond," Leia pointed out.

"You can stop blaming Threepio and Artoo for that incident, it was your idea to escape the detention center via garbage chute," Luke told her pointedly. "Up until that moment, I didn't think that parasites grew large enough to be carnivorous," he added.

"And you're scarred for life, aren't you?" Leia said dryly.

Luke just smiled and laughed. "Well, it _did_ try to eat me," he replied. "You're just lucky that I don't hold any grudges," he couldn't help adding and Leia smiled, unable to hold it back.

Their father rose and retook his lightsaber from Leia's hand and interrupted his children's conversation, look straight at Leia. "You need more practice with the force. You're excelling at learning how to properly wield a lightsaber, but when it comes to force attacks, you're powerless. You could end up being an easy kill for a Sith," he told her.

Leia frowned at the prospect but she somehow knew that he was right. She turned back to her brother who just nodded in confirmation.

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Anakin Skywalker awoke quite early the next day, much earlier than Obi-Wan, which he had checked to make sure that his master was still sleeping. His first task was to head down to the archives where he crept about to make sure that Jocosta Nu wasn't alerted to his presence. He sat down at one of the consoles and accessed the temple registry from it, an action that he had discovered many years ago. He entered the name Aaron Starkiller and waited as the database was searched before gaining the results, growing suspicious that the registry did not include that name. He searched again for Luke Lars, gaining the same results before searching for Leia Solo ending with the same results. His suspicions were on hight alert as he sat back, thinking about how he was going to go about his investigation of this. That's when he heard voices in the quiet archives. Voices he recognized as Luke Lars and Leia Solo. Anakin quickly stood up, and ducked behind an alcove in order to listen.

"Look at this place!" Luke said in awe.

"I've heard that the Jedi Temple's archives was quite impressive," Leia replied. "It's said to house all known knowledge of the galaxy and more."

"I wonder what became of it after the purge," Luke mused.

"There were rumors but each one contradicted the other," Leia said. "So, what were you hoping to look for in here?" she asked.

"I'll know when I see it," Luke answered.

"As usual, you're feeling your way through things," Leia commented.

"I let the force guide me, rules, regulations, plans, the force is always outside the bounds. Besides, I've never been good at following the rules," Luke told her.

Leia laughed. "That was always my problem too," she said. "It was extremely hard to act like a proper princess," she added.

"Any normal person who didn't grow up on Tatooine wouldn't think about any possibilities to get into trouble there," Luke commented. "I broke all records," he added with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Do you have any idea on what we're looking for?" Leia asked.

"Anything to do with the force," Luke answered.

"I see," Leia replied and paused for quite a bit. "Well, our workload is quite extensive," she commented.

"Let me see," Luke said and paused. "You understated it," he said.

"And you're looking like a kid in a candy store," Leia quipped and Luke laughed.

"Just think about what we could learn by trapping ourselves in here," he said wistfully.

Anakin shook his head, realizing that he wasn't going to hear anything worthy enough to help him uncover what they were hiding by just hiding here. So he looked around him, finding that he was in a rather interesting section. Scanning the local books, he found one that he had seen mentioned in a book he had read before, one that he had tried to get Jocosta Nu to let him read. Smiling to himself, he grabbed it, having to use the force to grasp it from the high shelf it was on. Flipping to the first page, he moved out from the alcove, appearing engrossed in what he was reading before moving out in the open. He felt Luke and Leia's surprise at seeing him and felt their guard go up.

Looking up from the book, he glanced at them briefly but didn't say anything before going back to the book, smiling to himself when he felt out, finding that they were alone in here which meant that he could just sign this book out without Jocosta Nu stopping him.

"Is it routine for you to be in here this early?" Luke asked, looking at Anakin.

"No, usually, I'm sleeping at this time, but I had a hard time sleeping last night so, I came here to do a little research without Master Nu breathing down my back," Anakin answered, keeping the fact that he was checking the temple's registry to himself.

"Who's Master Nu?" Leia asked.

"She's the one in charge of the Archives and she takes her job more seriously than her life," Anakin answered. "I haven't been able to be in here without her watching over my shoulder since I accidentally knocked down an entire section of shelving," he said, eying them over the book. "I'd be careful of what you do in here while she's around, she could prove to be most challenging to get through if you're looking for a particular subject," he warned, standing up. He walked over to the Archives log to sign the book out before taking his leave with the book in hand.

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The first thing that Obi-Wan Kenobi did when he awoke was to check on his padawan, as was his custom, but grew cautious when he found Anakin's bed to be empty and meticulously made. The entire room was meticulously kept, something that Anakin had adapted over the years, applying meticulous care to everything he did.

Retreating from the room, Obi-Wan wondered where Anakin could have gotten to when the door to their shared quarters opened and Anakin walked in with a book in hand. Obi-Wan did a double take as he realized that Anakin had been in the archives this early. "What is that?" he asked, indicating the book.

Anakin looked at the book in his hand. "Oh just something that I've been trying to get Master Nu to let me read," he said.

"And you finally convinced her?" Obi-Wan asked, knowing how much Jocosta Nu mistrusted Anakin in the archives.

"She wasn't there," Anakin told him.

"So you stole the book?"

"I signed it out," Anakin told him, his voice being a little defensive.

"After we eat, I'm going to see about our rotation and while I'm doing that I want you to get to know our current partners," Obi-Wan told him.

"Yes, Master," Anakin said, secretly thinking about doing a little investigating on them.

Obi-Wan eyed him, sensing Anakin's devious feelings. "What are you up to?" he demanded.

"Nothing, Master," Anakin told him but Obi-Wan knew better.

"What were you doing up early?" Obi-Wan asked. "I know that you didn't get up for a book," he added crossing his arms.

Anakin winced at this, knowing that he shouldn't keep this from his master. "I checked the temple's registry," he said.

"And?"

"Our partners are lying, Master, they're not on the registry," Anakin told him.

Obi-Wan sighed. "It seems that you are bent on investigating them," he said.

"I don't trust them, Master," Anakin told him.

"Yet, Master Yoda does," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Don't you think that their not being on the registry to be suspicious?" Anakin demanded.

"It is curious, however, it could give to the possibility that their story is credible," Obi-Wan argued.

"Time travel is just a theory, it has never been tested or proven. They're lying," Anakin told him.

"Nevertheless, I would advise you to keep your suspicions to yourself and find a way to work with them," Obi-Wan told him. "We were assigned to work with them for a reason."

"Perhaps we're supposed to investigate them," Anakin suggested. "You know that we're the best choice to do so..."

"And what makes you think that?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"Because we're very good at it," Anakin told him.

"Be that as it may, we are not the best, there are others who are, if not best, but just as skilled as us. Beware of jumping to conclusions," Obi-Wan told him.

"Yes, Master," Anakin said, thinking about strategy in the back of his mind.

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Luke and Leia observed Anakin as he lounged on a couch in their assigned quarters. Neither twin knew what to say exactly to him and they were on their own since Obi-Wan hadn't shown up yet and their father had deemed it time for him to be doing something that he deemed a project. Luke and Leia raised an eyebrow at each other, projecting their thoughts to one another, something that they discovered they could do after Han had been frozen in carbonite. Then Anakin laughed at something he was reading on a datapad, before entering something in it.

"What's so funny?" Luke asked, speaking up.

Anakin glanced at him. "Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"I'm just trying to strike up conversation," Luke said with a shrug.

"I'm not stopping you from having a conversation, but don't expect me to join in, I can't participate in two conversation at once," Anakin told him and checked his datapad again before smiling, holding in a laugh before entering something in.

"Who are you talking to on that thing?" Luke asked.

"A friend," Anakin answered shortly.

Leia leaned back in her seat, crossing her leg over the other and crossing her arms over her chest. "What do you think he's doing?" she asked, looking at her brother.

Luke shrugged. "Not sure. I saw him grimace about something before he left, someone summoned him on a comlink, that much I know," he answered.

"You mean he was uncomfortable about something?" Leia asked.

"I think so," Luke said.

"Interesting," Leia commented. "Do you think that you could find him through the force?" she asked.

"I believe so, yes. That's how I found him on Bespin but I think that, that may have been because he wanted me to find him," Luke answered.

"Let me guess, you found him in the carbon freezing chamber," Leia said dryly.

"Yes," Luke answered. "That was one hell of a challenge," he quipped.

"I think that he makes things difficult just for amusement," Leia said dryly.

Luke just chuckled. "How much did you enjoy kicking him there during drills?" he asked out of curiosity.

Leia laughed. "That should teach him not to underestimate me," she said.

"I learned not to underestimate you back while we were escaping the Death Star," Luke commented.

"And Han never learned," Leia said.

"He learned, but he just enjoys egging you on. I think it was a turn on for him," Luke told her.

Leia looked at him. "A turn on?" she said incredulously.

Luke laughed. "You don't really understand men do you?" he replied.

"Do explain, Brother Dear," Leia said dryly as her foot began tapping, normally not a good sign but it only made Luke sit up straighter, inching away from her as he turned to face her.

"Actually, Han would be better at explaining this," Luke told her, "on the other hand he has a tendency to use words that would most likely get you rilled up."

Anakin eyed them from the corner of his eyes, interested in the turn of their conversation.

Leia raised an eyebrow at her brother. "What makes you think that I'll get riled up?" she asked calmly.

"Because you have a temper, Leia. You may not realize it but there really isn't a lot of people who want to get on your bad side so they tip toe around you," Luke told her. "And that also has the guys talking," he added.

"Talking about what?" Leia asked.

"Don't make me say it," Luke asked.

Leia continued to raise her eyebrow, not willing to rescue her brother by telling him that she knew exactly what he was talking about.

At this moment Starkiller walked in carrying a bag and set it down in front of Luke and Leia.

"What's this?" Luke asked, grateful for the rescue.

"Spare parts that I gathered from a few places. I figured that they could become of some use," Starkiller answered.

"For what?" Luke asked, interested.

"What do you know about building droids?" Starkiller asked.

Luke shrugged. "I haven't built one since Uncle Owen forbade me from going into Anchorhead to steal parts," he answered offhandedly.

Starkiller looked at Leia then who sat up straiter. "And I suppose that you've never been allowed to get your hands dirty with grease," he assumed.

Leia narrowed her eyes, taking offense. "I happen to be a competent mechanic," she said indignantly.

Starkiller didn't seem to be affected by her tone. "Good, then I won't have to walk you through this exorcise," he said. Leia glowered at him.

"And what are you building exactly?" Anakin asked, setting his datapad aside.

"What I have in mind has no classification," Starkiller answered.

"You mean that you haven't decided, which is why you haven't produced any schematics," Anakin said, challengingly.

"I don't need schematics," Starkiller told him tightly. "I've been building things and meddling with mechanics long before I even seen schematics for anything," he said. "Familiar yourselves with what's in that bag and then let me know what you can come up with," he instructed Luke and Leia before taking his leave.

"Just where did he get this trash?" Leia asked, picking a few parts from the bag, seeing some fried wires here and there and beat up looking parts.

Anakin took the items from her hands and examined them. "It's not trash, all you have to do is take the time to fix them and you can make anything out of it," he countered. "The best places to find goods like this is a trash compactor. To many beings throw out good parts instead of taking the time to fix them in favor of buying new," he said answering her question.

"Goods?" Leia questioned skeptically.

"How can you tell trash from scrap?" Luke asked, picking up particular part that looked like it had been crunched.

"_That_ could be melted down once you take it apart and strip it for scrap metal," Anakin told him, indicating the part that he was holding. "And I know because I spent a lot of time in a junk shop," he added.

Luke and Leia looked at each other, each thinking the same thing. "What about a hyperdrive that fails not two seconds after you fix it?" Leia asked.

"Obviously it wasn't fixed right in the first place," Anakin answered her. "Now, lets see what kind of droid you can build with this scrap," he suggested, having an excuse to work on an interesting project and to come up with a line of questioning.

"How long have you been building things from scrap?" Luke asked.

"Since I was six," Anakin answered. "Master Yoda used to let me build and repair the temple droids until I got bored and used them for a prank," he told them.

"On who?" Leia asked.

"Master Windu, problem is that he has no sense of humor," Anakin answered. "Just how much do you two know about mechanics?" he asked.

"I studied mechanical engineering for several years," Leia answered.

"That's an odd course for a princess to take," Luke quipped.

Leia leveled him with an indignant look. "Oh? And what would be under the conventional course category for a princess to take?" she asked.

"I thought that royalty never got their hands dirty and didn't you say that your aunts were insistent on making you a model princess," Luke said, looking at her.

Leia gave him an exasperated look. "When have you known me to be a conventional princess?" she retorted.

Luke laughed. "Never," he answered.

_Thirty minutes later._

Luke let out a few choice words in huttese when he was zapped while connected a few wires, shaking his fingers as he did so. He frowned when he heard Anakin laugh.

"Do you even know what you just said?" Anakin asked when Luke gave him a cross look. "What you just said translates as asking a female to join you in an ally for some indecent activities," he explained making Luke frown.

"Really? Luke, I didn't know you had it in you," Leia quipped.

Anakin laughed again at the annoyed look on Luke's face. "Who are you repeating?" he asked.

"I honestly have no idea, I just overheard someone say that in one of the cantinas in Mos Eisley," Luke answered.

"Tatooine?" Anakin questioned.

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, I grew up there," he answered.

Anakin just stared at him. "You're kidding, right?" he asked.

"Afraid not. I grew up on a moisture farm just past Anchorhead," Luke answered.

"That must be terribly boring," Anakin said. "I mean, squeezing water from sand isn't very fulfilling, especially on a barren sand ball like Tatooine," he said.

"It wasn't that bad, I've been in worst places," Luke replied, appearing not to be offended, but inside he shoved down his urge to put Anakin in his place with the thought that he'll end up eating his words very soon.

"So have I, but Tatooine will always been on the top of my list of hated places," Anakin told him. "It's hot and dry. The sand is too coarse and rough while it gets everywhere. Everywhere you turn, you run into some kind of scum and don't get me started on the Hutts," he finished.

"They are rather disgusting," Leia couldn't stop herself from adding. "As well as their penchant for monstrous pets."

"I'm not going to forget that rancor," Luke commented.

"Rancor?" Anakin questioned.

"Oh just one of those things that thought of me as dinner. That one is part of a long and complicated story," Luke dismissed. He then turned to Leia. "Han never paid me back for that one," he told her.

"I think the amount of times he helped you out negates him having to pay you back," Leia told him.

"I think we've separated each part sufficiently," Anakin said, changing the subject. "Now we just have to figure out what we can do with all of it," he said, eying the parts critically.

"It would help if we knew what he had in mind," Leia pointed out.

"I think the point of this exorcise was for us to figure it out," Luke told her.

"For what purpose? This isn't in the manual for Jedi training," Anakin told them.

"There's a manual?" Luke asked.

"Well...sort of. I found it a few years ago in the archives. It was written a few thousand years ago. After about three thousand years it had been used, it was discarded. It was an interesting read, considering that a lot of the modern training and the code contradicts it in many ways," Anakin answered.

"Why was it discarded?" Luke asked.

"Something about the lost twenty," Anakin answered shrugging.

"Lost twenty?" Leia asked.

"The lost twenty were Jedi masters who resigned from the order over ideological differences. A good number of them eventually became Sith," Anakin answered. Shrugging again, he continued, "It's not exactly shocking that a Jedi would voluntarily leave the order, considering the fact that the order has become compliant, most Jedi serve the code first over the force." He then noticed the way that Luke and Leia looked at each other. "What?" he asked, getting the feeling that they knew something he didn't and not exactly liking the way they looked at him afterwards.

"It's nothing," Leia dismissed.

"Just one more piece of the puzzle to what had happened to make the Order fall," Luke explained.

Anakin frowned, but was saved from saying something that would sound quite harsh by the timely arrival of his master.

"Oh dear force, tell me you weren't trash picking again, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, seeing the numerous spare parts strewn across the floor.

"I haven't gone anywhere near the lower levels in quite some time, Master," Anakin answered defensively.

Obi-Wan didn't seem to believe him. "Then what is this?" he demanded, gesturing to the junk on the floor.

"It's not mine!" Anakin told him.

"Ah I see that you've gotten organized, have you figured out what we're turning these parts into?" Starkiller said entering the room.

Obi-Wan looked at him. "What can you possibly be doing with this junk?" he asked.

Starkiller raised an eyebrow. "What you call junk, I call impeccable finds," he said calmly, earning a sharp glance from Anakin. Obi-Wan, however, narrowed his eyes, having heard that one from his padawan on numerous occasions. Starkiller didn't look to affected by the way they looked at him, instead addressing Luke and Leia. "Any ideas?" he asked.

"There are several possibilities, but for each, there seems to be a part missing here and there," Leia answered.

"The point was to be creative, not to look at someone else's design," Starkiller told her.

"What kind of exorcise is this?" Obi-Wan asked.

"A lesson in creativity," Starkiller answered. "You should try it sometime," he added.

"Then are we really building a droid or...

Starkiller interrupted Luke. "I wouldn't have found perfectly good parts without the intent of building something," he said.

With that statement Anakin looked at him strangely. As far as he had known, he was the only one with that opinion on junk parts.

"Stop staring, Anakin," Obi-Wan hissed close to his padawan.

"Sorry, Master," Anakin quietly said back grudgingly.

"So what are we building?" Leia asked. To which Starkiller just grinned in response.


	7. Lessons Part Two

**A/N:**_ One more chapter. Sorry if there are any numerous mistakes in here. I did my best to skim through them.  
_

* * *

Anakin stared in shock at Starkiller after he had explained what he had in mind. The sheer mechanical genius behind that thought astounding him. Why and how Starkiller had thought of something like that, something that was inconceivable and never once proposed in any kind of schematics before, it was beyond him. He didn't even notice the looks between Luke and Leia or the look on his master's face. His mind was still going over what Starkiller was planning on building. Daftly he heard his name being called before his attention was brought back to the present to see that Obi-Wan was trying to get his attention.

Mentally shaking his head, he looked over at Obi-Wan. "What?" he asked.

Obi-Wan just gave him an exasperated look, rolling his eyes as he did so. "You can go over the details to this building project later," he said. "For now, I have our assigned rotations," he continued and handed him a chip.

Anakin looked down at the chip in hand and grew agitated. "The seventy-ninth district??? No way, here lets trade," he said handing the disc back over. But Obi-Wan just crossed his arms.

"We are not having this argument again, Anakin. The council assigned you with that particular patrol and that is final. Don't forget that you're still skating on thin ice for that stunt you pulled a couple months ago," Obi-Wan told him strictly.

"The council overreacted like they always do, Master," Anakin told him defensively. "Besides, the seventy-ninth district is one of the worst districts to venture out in..."

"Which is why you need to take this week's patrol," Obi-Wan reminded him.

"I'm not doing it," Anakin told him stubbornly.

"Fine, then you can tell Master Windu what had precisely happened to his lightsaber," Obi-Wan told him evenly.

"That wasn't my fault and you know it," Anakin retorted.

"It's never your fault, Anakin," Obi-Wan said tiredly. "I sometimes wonder when you will start taking responsibility for your actions," he said.

Anakin glared at him before he stood up and left, unaware of the eyes on him and of the silent communication going on about him. He had made it to the nearest lift and was about to get in when someone grabbed his attention. Turning around, he noticed with irritation that it was Luke Lars. "What?" he demanded.

"I just want to know what is so horrible about a simple patrol," Luke told him.

"The seventy-ninth district is never a simple patrol," Anakin told him.

"If you knew about the ones that I was on, you wouldn't be so quick to refuse something so simple," Luke told him.

"Then enlighten me," Anakin said dryly.

"Is patrolling the seventy-ninth district something that would risk your life?" Luke asked.

"Not particularly," Anakin answered.

"Then you should feel grateful for that, because where I come from, such a simple act could get a Jedi killed, just for being a Jedi," Luke told him.

Anakin frowned, hearing him sticking to that bantha poodoo that was concocted to cover something up. "I prefer something worth risking my life for," he said flatly, entering the lift before going down to a different floor.

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Luke returned to the dignitary quarters to see his father and Obi-Wan in a discussion. A sight that threw him for a loop for a moment, the image of Vader striking down an older Obi-Wan on board the Death Star entering his mind. He looked over at Leia, recognizing her body posture as a clear indicator that she was bored. It was something that only those closest to Leia, who really knew her well, would notice.

"I wonder where we can find Master Yoda at this time," he said, sitting down next to his sister.

Obi-Wan briefly looked at him. "He's giving a lesson on the force to a clan of younglings on the main level," he informed him.

Luke perked up at the idea. "Come on, Leia, this might be interesting," he said.

"Interesting to whom exactly?" Leia questioned, but stood up to join him nonetheless.

"You never know," Luke replied as the two of them left, leaving Obi-Wan alone with their father.

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"Do you even know where you're going?" Leia asked as she and Luke rounded another corner.

"I'm letting the force guide me," Luke answered. "I can show you how to let the force guide you," he said looking at her.

"Is this why we're seeking Yoda out? For more lessons on the force?" Leia asked.

"Just think about it this way...next time you're forced into another duel with our father, you could take him off guard...that is if you master the force without him knowing," Luke suggested.

This suggestion appealed to Leia though she didn't show it. "So where are you feeling your way to?" she asked.

"A classroom, I think," Luke answered and stopped shortly as they passed a room where children's laughter could be heard.

Leia heard it too and stopped as well. Giving Luke a raised eyebrow, they peered in to see a clan of younglings being entertained by Anakin. It was a sight that took them off guard for a number of reasons, but also for the fact that not too long ago he had sullenly walked off and now he was making younglings laugh.

Leia raised an eyebrow at Luke who just shook his head. "Lets find Master Yoda," he said and was about to continue onward when a youngling ran out of the room to chase after something as small as a marble.

Luke calmly called the object into his hand with the force examining it. "What..."

"It's a star map," the youngling, a small girl with black curls told him.

"Neat," Luke said, rolling the object in question between his fingers.

"Can I have it?" the youngly asked, fixing her dark eyes on him.

Luke smiled, a playful smile. "Well..."

"Just hand it over," Leia told him, half wanting to indulge the playful side to her brother after so long of it being missing, and half not wanting to be accused of stalking.

"As you wish," Luke said, handing the star map to the youngling.

"Thank you," the girl said, clutching the star map tightly and hurrying back into the room she had come from.

"Come on, lets find Yoda," Leia said, linking her arm through Luke's while they walked away, unaware of the fact that they were being watched closely from behind a door.

_**An hour and a half later**_.

"Do you think that Yoda knows we're looking for him?" Leia asked after searching all the class rooms and not finding any sign of the diminutive grand master.

"That would make perfect sense," Luke answered.

"What?" Leia demanded, looking at her brother. "How does that make sense?"

"You don't know Master Yoda," Luke told her and stopped, closing his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Leia asked.

"Searching for Master Yoda's force signature," Luke answered before smiling. "I think I've found him," he said, and grabbed Leia's arm, pulling her in the direction where he sensed the force signature. Only they ended up in a maintenance area of the temple which was mostly run by droids. Luke stopped outside a half open door where they heard an unfamiliar voice.

"I've looked this over thirty times already and haven't even found the source of the problem. Even the droids are useless in figuring it out," an older male voice said.

"Well droids lack the ability to think around the problem, that is unless you know how to program them around that rather large set back. Besides, I think that I've found the problem."

Luke and Leia stepped back, upon hearing Anakin's voice. Leia glared at her brother. "I thought that Yoda was in there," she said flatly and quietly.

"I don't understand, I sought out the most powerful force signature," Luke told her, mimicking her need to be quiet.

"Well try again before we're accused of stalking," Leia commanded.

"I'm glad that I came to you, Anakin, I honestly don't know how you find and fix the problems so quickly," the older voice said.

"Just something that I picked up," Anakin's voice answered. "This shouldn't take too long to fix, I'm just going to get the proper tools..."

"Lets go!" Leia ordered quietly, grabbing Luke's arm and pulling him out of sight and around a corner, unaware that someone had spotted them just as they were rounding the corner.

_**An hour later**_.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're going on a wild bantha chase?" Leia grumbled when they were still looking for Master Yoda.

"Probably because that's what we're doing," Luke answered.

"Then what's the point?" Leia asked pointedly.

"Knowing Master Yoda, I'd say more training," Luke answered.

"That makes absolutely no sense," Leia told him.

"Master Yoda may seem...well...strange, but everything he does and has you doing has a reason and he doesn't elaborate on it, he wants you to figure it out," Luke told her.

"I see," Leia said as they passed yet another alcove in the room of a thousand fountains. "Sounds to me that he likes to make things difficult," she said.

"Master Yoda said that the life of a Jedi is difficult, which is why he makes things difficult," Luke told her.

"And what about those who can't measure up to this difficult life?" Leia asked.

Luke frowned as he hadn't thought about this. "I don't know," he said and stopped. In the alcove to their right by a fountain, sat Anakin doing what could only be called research as he read from an old book and took notes on a datapad.

"Oh honestly, is he everywhere?" Leia exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"Apparently," Luke replied. "He seems to be pretty busy here."

"Let's continue on," Leia said walking away from the alcove. Luke shook his head before following her unaware that they were noticed.

_**Two hours later**_.

"This is pointless," Leia said in frustration as they haven't yet found Master Yoda.

"And it's about time for the afternoon meal," Luke said, agreeing with her. "Come on, I'm hungry," he said and they headed off to the mess hall which seemed to be quite crowded. Wordlessly Luke and Leia got in the serving line where they picked out what seemed appetizing before leaving the line. Neither twin wanted to sit in the mess hall and take the chance of having someone try to talk to them so they left with their food in hand for their assigned quarters before they could be approached by a bald, dark skinned Jedi.

As they entered the dignitary quarters, the found it to be empty. Shrugging to themselves, they sat down and began eating. For a moment they were alone and they could talk freely which pleased them both. While they had their quality times to themselves before during the galactic civil war to build their friendship, they haven't had the opportunity to have those quality times since finding out that they were brother and sister.

"I never thought that this place could be so big," Luke commented.

Leia raised an eyebrow. "It may be big, but it isn't unnecessarily big," she said.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"Well, every room in this temple has a use and is repeatedly in use. A palace for example, has at least a hundred or more rooms that while furnished, have little use other than show and are rarely ever in use," Leia told him.

"What is it with royalty and their need for needless excessiveness?" Luke asked.

"Right of passage, I suppose. I never really understood it myself," Leia answered.

"Not all palaces are like that though, remember, Jabba's palace, every room has a purpose," Luke reminded her as they finished their meal.

"Don't remind me," Leia told him. "I'd just as soon forget that wretched place."

"What wretched place?"

Both Luke and Leia looked up to see Anakin walk in, seemingly more calm than he had left.

"Jabba's palace," Luke answered.

Anakin winced. "When where you in that hell hole?" he asked.

"We were rescuing a friend who was captured and taken there," Luke told him.

"Let me guess, you rescue plan went awry," Anakin suspected by the looked on Leia's face and her posture.

"You can say that," Luke said, glancing at Leia. "Leia got captured while freeing Han," he added.

Anakin looked over at her, knowing exactly what that meant. "How did you escape?" he asked.

"I came for them both as soon as our other friend, Lando, who was disguised as a guard contacted me. That went awry where I ended up fending off a rancor, unarmed, and then where Han, our wookiee friend, Chewie, and I were sentenced to be fed to the sarlacc in the pit of carkoon. Needless to say, we survived," Luke answered.

"And you?" Anakin asked, looking at Leia.

"I strangled Jabba with the chain he put around my neck," Leia told him.

"He did what?" Starkiller demanded dangerously as he and Obi-Wan entered the room gaining everyone's attention.

Luke looked between his sister and father cautiously, feeling the rage that was radiating off of his father. While Obi-Wan and Anakin both narrowed their eyes at the very un-jedi-like emotion.

Leia looked at her father dead in the eye. "You heard me," she said. And then was surprised when he turned around to walk out the door.

"Where are you going?" Luke called out.

"Tatooine," Starkiller answered.

"Why?" Luke pressed on.

"I'm going to kill Jabba the Hutt," Starkiller told him.

To this proclamation, Luke jumped up and quickly made his way to stand in his father way. His father narrowed his eyes at him.

"Get out of my way, Luke," Starkiller ordered.

"Not a chance. I'm not going to let you kill Jabba out of rage," Luke told him adamantly. "If you are so hell bent then you're going to have to get through me," he added with his hand on his lightsaber.

Starkiller eyed him before he began to curse in huttese, not having it in him to strike down his only son. "Obviously you know nothing about the hutts," he said.

"I know that they're not to be trifled with and if you go in there alone, you could be killed," Luke told him.

"You don't know what goes on in a hutt's palace," Starkiller told him, "I do."

"I still fail to see why you feel the need to kill Jabba," Luke told him, "Other he is a crime lord, but that still doesn't justify killing him."

"I can tell you plenty about Jabba the Hutt that would justify his death," Starkiller told him.

"Regardless of why one's death would be justified, It is not the Jedi way to just go and kill someone," Obi-Wan said disdainfully, speaking up.

"If you were any proper Jedi then wouldn't abandon your duties to go on a killing rampage," Anakin said challengingly, silently using this display to prove his suspicions that Aaron Starkiller wasn't what he appeared to be and raised an eyebrow at Obi-Wan who silently narrowed his eyes at his apprentice, telling him to give it up.

Starkiller narrowed his eyes at Anakin, not liking his younger self reprimanding him in the least. "Yes and you're just perfect," he said sarcastically. "It seems as though with the years that has passed by, you have forgotten just how despicable Jabba the Hutt is," he said scathingly making Anakin frown in displeasure.

"Why do you care about this so much?" Leia demanded causing Starkiller to look at her.

"Because Jabba is as vile as they get," Starkiller told her, and then went down the list of just how vile he was, resorting to huttese for the proper terms to describe just how vile he is.

Obi-Wan leaned closer to Anakin. "Do I even want to know what he is saying?" he asked.

Anakin who eyed Starkiller critically answered him, "No Master," and then his eyes widened at some of the new terms that Starkiller was using as he argued with Leia, who equally fired back.

"I take it that he's saying something excruciating vile to earn the shocked expression on your face," Obi-Wan commented, looking at his apprentice.

"Uh, you can say that," Anakin replied, growing uncomfortable. Especially when Luke chimed into the argument, taking the role of mediator. "I'm just going to leave," he said.

"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Dex's and then on patrol," Anakin answered, eager to get out of here.

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Anakin didn't mind going on patrol. It enabled him some time away from the temple to think and to observe. But when it came time to patrol the seventy-ninth district, he grew to dislike it. The streets were dirty and filled with all kinds of scum and villainy and not to mention crowded with prostitutes. It never failed that when he would patrol this district, he would receive all kinds of offers that while may seem interesting but in actuality, it made him uncomfortable. But he didn't dare voice his dislike to the council. He tried that once with Obi-Wan and received a lecture about his duties as a Jedi. That in itself was a long one, that Anakin didn't want to repeat. So when he received this rotation, he didn't say anything, he just glared at his master, making sure that Obi-Wan knew that he wasn't happy and left. Only to be followed by that Luke Lars who wanted to know why he was unhappy about a simple patrol and then decided to inform him that where Luke came from, such an act could get him killed and that Anakin should be grateful that he could go out in public as a Jedi. That was something that Anakin found annoying about the three Jedi that Master Yoda assigned to work with him and Obi-Wan. He didn't believe their story. The very idea of time travel was impossible and completely illogical. But for some reason, Master Yoda believed them. Besides, the very notion that the Jedi die and become hunted down like animals to be exterminated was too much. Such an event would never happen!

Anakin focused his attention on the here and now as he rounded a corner. He braced himself as he spotted five prostitutes in front of him and fruitlessly prayed that they would ignore him like so many others did. But alas, such wasn't his luck and he inwardly groaned when they spotted him. And like predators, they approached him, circling him.

"Hey there, handsome," the first one purred.

"Looking for a little fun?" another asked seductively.

"No," Anakin replied. "I'd rather..."

"Prefer more than a little fun," another said.

"That would cost you extra," another informed him.

"I'd rather skin myself, thank you," Anakin told them tartly.

"We could make it worth your while," another purred in his ear.

Anakin shrugged away from them. "I'm not interested!" he told them, trying to get away. He flinched when he felt a body press itself against him, firmly. Before he heard a familiar voice.

"He's mine," the voice of the body next to him said firmly and possessively.

"This isn't your corner, Hon, so if you don't want any trouble, I suggest you leave," the first prostitute threatened.

Anakin turned to see Leia Solo's jaw clench. "Is that a threat?" she demanded.

"It is what it is," the prostitute said snidely and was backed up by the others.

"Well, _Hon_, you do not want to fight me," Leia told her aggressively.

The prostitute laughed. "You think that you can take us? A small thing like you is greatly outnumbered," she said.

That's when Leia pulled out a lightsaber and quickly had the lead prostitute on her back with the blade against her throat. "Like I said. You _don't_ want to fight me," she said firmly.

"He's all yours," the prostitute snapped.

Leia put her lightsaber away and released the prostitute. "I would consider a different occupation," she told them as the prostitutes left them alone.

"I could have handled that," Anakin snapped.

"Well you looked like you could have used some help. I don't expect any form of gratitude," Leia told him.

"Don't you have something else to do?" Anakin asked.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" Leia asked.

_Yes_! "No," Anakin told her, continuing his patrol. "Did Obi-Wan send you?" he asked when she fell into step with him.

"I wanted to see what a patrol was like. This kind of opportunity would be deadly where I come from," Leia told him.

Anakin frowned. But didn't say anything to that. "Well you won't be seeing much. Hardly anything worthwhile ever happens on patrol," he told her.

"What do you call what just happened?" Leia replied.

"A common annoyance," Anakin told her. "You know, any credible Jedi wouldn't use the kind of trick you just used," he said looking at her to see what her reaction would be.

"Well, it worked better that your method," Leia told him simply.

"And what does your master say to your unorthodox methods?" Anakin asked.

"He doesn't say anything, yet. Besides, we haven't known each other very long for him to say anything," Leia told him.

"I see," Anakin said. "If it were me, I'd..."

"You'd what?" Leia asked.

"Nothing," Anakin said quickly.

Leia eyed him closely before she started chuckling at a memory.

"What is so funny?" Anakin asked, thinking it was about him and getting defensive.

"I'm just remembered the last and only other time that I pulled a trick like that," Leia told him.

For some reason this intrigued Anakin. "And?" he questioned.

"Are you curious?" Leia asked.

"No," Anakin answered quickly. He then looked at her. "What was it?" he asked.

"I thought that you weren't curious," Leia reminded him.

"I'm not, you just seem like you want to talk about it and it doesn't seem like you will be leaving me in peace anytime soon, so just say it," Anakin told her.

Leia considered this for a moment, knowing that she was speaking to a very young version of her biological father who just happened to not even realize it. "I used a similar trick to make someone jealous, only I used my brother to help me do it, but at that time we didn't know we were related even though we were best friends," she told him.

"That's cruel," Anakin told her.

"It worked," Leia told him.

"Still, I pity both the poor schmuck you decided to torment and your brother," Anakin told her. "Besides, how can you not know that you are related?" he asked.

"We were separated at birth and weren't given any knowledge of each other," Leia told him.

"Who would do such a thing?" Anakin asked.

"The surviving Jedi thought that they were protecting us. I can see why, now," Leia told him.

"Why was that so important?" Anakin asked.

"Because of the Emperor and because of who our father is. If we were found, the Emperor would have killed us. Luke went to Tatooine to be raised by our aunt and uncle and I was adopted on Alderaan," Leia told him. "It wasn't until recently that we figured things out and were reunited with our father, just before we ended up here," she finished.

Anakin looked at her, sensing the truth in her words and a little hurt and sadness. "Who was your father?" he asked.

"A Jedi, one of the powerful ones," Leia told him, cryptically.

"Have you tried seeking him out since coming here?" Anakin asked.

"Why do you ask?" Leia asked.

"Because that is what I would have done," Anakin told her. "If it were my father, I would..."

"What about your father?" Leia asked.

"I don't have a father," Anakin told her.

"Everyone has one..."

"No, everyone has a mother. Having a father isn't required much," Anakin told her.

"I don't see how that is possible," Leia told him frowning.

"Well I'm a special case," Anakin told her strictly.

"Why?" Leia asked.

"It's complicated," Anakin dismissed.

"It can't be any more complicated than my family," Leia told him.

"Stop trying to weasel information out of me," Anakin snapped.

"I'm not trying anything of the sort," Leia countered.

"Really? Then why else did you follow me out here? You and your friend Luke are constantly following me!" Anakin said pointedly.

"You're being paranoid," Leia told him frowning.

"Am I?" Anakin demanded.

"Obviously. You seem to think that everything is about you," Leia retorted hotly.

Anakin looked at her, seeing in her posture that she was upset. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

Leia looked at him, seeing that he meant it. "Not everything is about you," she told him.

"I don't think that," Anakin told her. "But there are many who think that the fate of the galaxy rests on my shoulders," he finished.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Leia asked.

"No. I'd rather forget about it for the time being," Anakin told her.

"That's fair enough," Leia said agreeably.

"Why are you so interested about me anyway?" Anakin asked.

"It's not you per say, but most importantly the Jedi and you just happen to be closer to my age so I am curious about your perspective," Leia said skillfully, relaying on her political experience.

Anakin looked at her. "Alright, how about a deal. You can ask me questions if I can ask some of you but we have to answer honestly and I reserve the right to decline answering a question," he proposed.

"The same for me," Leia agreed.

"That's fair," Anakin replied.

"You first," Leia said.

Anakin looked at her again. "Is Leia Solo your real name?" he asked.

"Partially. I may take the name Solo in the future," Leia answered.

"Then what is your real name?" Anakin asked.

"It's my turn," Leia reminded him.

"Sorry," Anakin said and motioned for her to go.

"Do you enjoy being a Jedi?" Leia asked.

Anakin grinned. "Yes. It's been something that I wanted to do since before I even knew about the force. It's greatly rewarding," he answered.

Leia looked at him, knowing that he was being truthful. She had a hard time reconciling this with what she knew of what he would later become in just a few short years.

"It's my turn," Anakin said and she nodded. "What is your real name?" he asked.

"My birth initials are L.A.S," Leia answered.

"That doesn't tell me much," Anakin told her.

"And I reserve the right to keep that information to myself for now," Leia reminded him. "What was it like growing up in the temple?" she asked.

"I didn't really grow up in the temple," Anakin answered. "How did you meet your master?" he asked.

"That isn't easy to answer," Leia told him.

"Why not?" Anakin asked.

"Because I met him several times but I didn't really know him until after he saved my brother's life, risking his own in the process," Leia answered.

"You didn't like him until then," Anakin said and it was an observation.

Leia looked away. "Why didn't you grow up in the temple?" she asked.

Anakin watched her closely, sensing her pain and torment. "I was a slave on Tatooine before the Jedi found me," he answered. This caught Leia's attention as she looked at him sharply.

"That must have been terrible," she said masking how much the thought horrified her.

"It was, for a time. It really depends on the owner," Anakin told her. "There are some fairly decent owners and then there are the ones who thrive on cruelty. When I became a Jedi, I instantly thought about going home and freeing all the slaves. I still want to do that, once I earn the rank of master. Until then I'll wait," he finished.

Leia looked at him having a hard time picturing him as the monster that she grew up knowing. "I hope that you get the chance to do so," she said softly.

Anakin looked up at the sky, seeing that dawn was approaching. "Looks like the patrol is over. Once we return to the temple, we'll be allowed time to sleep," he informed her. "Otherwise, we would be getting up around this time for duty," he added.

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When Leia returned to the quarters that were assigned to her, all was quiet so she made a point to make as little noise as possible. However, halfway through the sitting room a light flicked on and she froze. Standing by the window was her father, or rather the man that her brother called father, to her, Bail Organa would always be her father. He brain commanded that she continue on but her feet disobeyed her command.

"I overreacted earlier," Starkiller told her, not turning away from the window.

"Well, now we have that cleared up, I'm going to bed," Leia told him, feeling a little uneasy with being alone with him.

"I was born into slavery, even soled to the hutts. I know what goes on within their confines," he continued.

For some reason, Leia felt compelled to listen, for some reason she could sense that this was something he needed to share, so she stayed for a little longer. "I wasn't in Jabba's palace long before Luke came," she told him, but felt compelled to add, "I wouldn't have been there if you hadn't had Han frozen in carbonite and sent with that bounty hunter to be delivered to Jabba in the first place."

"Perhaps Han Solo should have been wise enough to pay off his debt," Starkiller told her.

Leia narrowed her eyes at his back. "It's a little hard to do when he was serving in the Alliance," she shot back.

"Regardless of how Solo ended up in the hands of the hutts, the point is that he got himself there _and_ you," Starkiller told her. "Which makes me question your judgment," he added.

Leia took offense at this. "My judgment? Well that is just rich coming from _you_," she retorted.

"Did you know that Han Solo had been dishonorably discharged from the Imperial Navy?" Starkiller asked, turning to face her.

"Yes, he was caught freeing wookiee slaves, I consider that honorable," Leia replied.

"That is the story he told you. He was caught freeing the wookiee slaves six months before he was discharged, he was on probation for freeing the wookiees. He was discharged for embezzlement. I know this because I signed the discharging papers. His life was spared _because_ he freed the wookiees. He was supposed to be sent to the spice mines instead, but he miraculously escaped. The time that he spent between then and when I caught you on Bespin was on the run," Starkiller corrected her.

"What is your point?" Leia demanded.

"My point is that all Han Solo cares about is money," Starkiller told her.

"You don't know Han, he risked quite a lot for both myself and Luke. He's an honorable man, much unlike..."

Starkiller interrupted her. "Unlike me?" he filled in. "Honor is a tricky thing, depending completely on what side you're on. If there is one thing that the Jedi and the Sith have in common, it is honor, granted both sides have different views on what is honorable," he told her. "Now the hutts have no honor and anyone who associates himself with a hutt is anything but honorable," he finished.

"You're basing your judgment on a narrow minded view without any facts," Leia told him. "Quite frankly..."

"I know plenty of facts! I know exactly what kind of kungs associate themselves with the hutts, especially smugglers! It is a smuggling team of brothers who would take turns raping the female slaves. They used to chain me up and force me to watch them rape my mother, repeatedly. That's the kind of scum that works for the hutts," Starkiller told her hotly, interrupting her.

Leia stared at him, horrified and disgusted with that piece of information. Daftly, she sensed that he didn't intend to tell her that, but all she could think about was this one little piece to the puzzle that made him into what he was. But she didn't say anything to that.

"On once instance, I broke free and took one of their vibroblades when it was just one of them, and stabbed him in the throat, I was five when I killed him. In the law of the hutts, if a slave kills either his or her owner or someone his or her owner is associated with, he or she is punished by death. My mother knew this and quickly took the vibroblade and stashed it in a smuggler's bag just before he left. When you're owned by the hutts expected the worst because it will happen, you have no rights and you are not a living being, you're property. And smugglers working for the hutts have the same views," Starkiller told her.

Leia found her voice then, "Han isn't like that," she told him.

"I'll believe that when I see it," Starkiller told her, turning and going into the room he was sleeping in. But before he could enter, Leia spoke again.

"Is there ever a time that it ever bothered you to take a life?" Leia asked, not looking directly at him. But he didn't answer her, he just continued on into the room and closed the door behind him.

Squaring her shoulders, interpreting her answer, Leia retreated to the room she was sharing with Luke. Wondering why Starkiller really cared who she associated with or rather why she was in the palace of Jabba the Hutt.

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Obi-Wan sighed. The peace of the morning was like a breath of fresh air. Anakin was passed out asleep after a night of patrol. Obi-Wan knew that he was not happy with that assignment but went along with it without further protest. That in itself was progress. But now with Anakin asleep, Obi-Wan found himself alone in the mornings peace and quiet. The problem he was facing was that such a thing was uncomfortable, especially with nothing to occupy himself with. After a quiet moment of watching the life on Coruscant, Obi-Wan decided to take a visit to his and Anakin's current partners.

When Obi-Wan arrived at the quarters that housed Jedis Starkiller, Lars and Solo, he found only one occupant awake. Aaron Starkiller stood in a doorway to a bedchamber in silence and watching the occupants inside. Obi-Wan quietly walked up to his side and noticed what or who Starkiller was looking at. Leia Solo too was deep in sleep.

"Shouldn't you wake her for her morning training?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, I'm letting her be," Starkiller answered quietly. He paused before continuing. "I missed so many nights when I could have been doing this," he said regretfully.

Obi-Wan looked at him, seeing the ghost of a smile on his face. "You're attached to her," he said in observation.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing, Obi-Wan. You of all people should understand that," Starkiller told him.

There it was again. The feeling of familiarity that passed between them. "What would make you think that?" he asked.

"The code preaches detachment and a Jedi would deny attachment because of it, yet, every Jedi attaches themselves to another. The Master/Padawan bond is an example. You cared very deeply for your master did you not?" Starkiller didn't wait for an answer as he continued. "And you also care very deeply for your padawan. Even if you ask yourself on occasion what you were thinking in taking him on to train him."

Obi-Wan found it unnerving how easily Starkiller read him and that worried him. "And where do you get your information?" he asked.

Starkiller looked at him and for a moment Obi-Wan could see pain in his eyes before it was gone. "You told me," he answered.

"When did I do that?" Obi-Wan asked suspiciously.

"It's not important. The situation that brought that on will not be happening," Starkiller answered looking back at Leia. A smile graced his face. "She is beautiful, like an angel," he said softly.

Obi-Wan had only ever heard that term once before and it had been almost ten years ago. A nagging question prickled at the back of his mind as he thought of the purges that he was told about. "What happens to Anakin in the future?" he asked.

Starkiller looked at him again. "Don't ask any questions that you aren't truly ready to know the answer to," he said hollowly.

Before Obi-Wan could form any kind of response, whether it be mental or spoken, the door opened and Luke walked in carrying several datadiscs and shuffling them in his hand. Starkiller turned his attention towards him then.

"Did Jocasta Nu give you a hard time?" Starkiller asked.

"Is she always that mistrustful?" Luke asked.

"Only to..._us_," Starkiller answered and Obi-Wan got the impression that the word 'us' was used in place of something else.

Luke nodded. "I had to go to Master Yoda for him to tell her that I have the right access,"he informed them.

Starkiller nodded. "I remember having to do the same on occasion," he said. He stepped away from the doorway and walked over to Luke. He took the datadiscs from Luke's hands and read their labels. At one he raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember requesting this one...or these either," he said holding four datadiscs apart.

"You didn't. I just figured that they would make interesting reading," Luke replied.

"I see," Starkiller said and handed the four datadiscs over. "Have fun," he said.

Luke smiled. "I intend to," he said. "Did you know, Master Yoda granted us access to all the information in the archives. Even the stuff that is strictly for masters on the council," he informed him.

Starkiller raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? I'm going to have to check that out," he said.

"You mean that you haven't done so before?" Luke asked.

"I was on the council prior to the destruction of the order but I wasn't given the rank of master, Luke," Starkiller informed him.

"Curious," Obi-Wan commented. "That is unheard of," he added.

Starkiller looked at him then. "My exact terms for it was that it was insulting," he said. "Here I was risking my life repeatedly in a senseless war, turning loosing battles into winning ones for the Republic. I was training a padawan on top of that and then I am granted a seat on the council but denied the rank of master," he finished.

"It doesn't make sense for the council to appoint you as one of the chairs but not give you the rank of master," Obi-Wan said.

"Is that a break of protocol?" Luke asked.

"It's a dishonor. Think of it, this way in military terms. You spent a decade planning strategic attacks and defenses that has saved many lives, even commanded your own squadron, yet you can't seem to be promoted," Starkiller answered him.

"I see," Luke said, seeing yet another piece of the puzzle. "Well, I'm going to get reading," Luke said, taking a datapad and some datadisks with him into the room he was sleeping in.

Obi-Wan turned to Starkiller. "Have you considered the idea that it maybe your viewpoints that kept the council from granting you the rank of master? My own master was never granted a seat on the council because he was a radical Jedi. However why they would grant you a seat on the council rather give you the rank of master is curious," he asked.

"I was given a seat on the council so that I could spy on the Chancellor, that is the only reason," Starkiller told him.

"And what did you find?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Does it matter?" Starkiller asked.

"To me it does. Anakin is close to the Chancellor, is this friendship dangerous?" Obi-Wan demanded.

Starkiller smiled. "There are many dangers for a Jedi to be friends with a politician, Obi-Wan. They're slippery," he answered. "Now if you excuse me, I have an appointment with Master Yoda," he said, taking his leave. Leaving Obi-Wan to worry about his padawan.


	8. A Hidden Lesson

**A/N:**_ One more chapter. Sorry if there are any numerous mistakes in here. I did my best to skim through them.  
_

* * *

_The beasts walked like men but they didn't look like men, nor did they act like men. Their rituals were animalistic and primitive. But the vision drew away from the circle of fire and ritual and went straight into a hut where he saw a woman being beaten and her cries of pain echoed off of the walls. Then she looked up. _

Anakin Skywalker jolted up in bed from a cold sweat. They were starting again. For a month he had had these visions before they stopped a week ago and now they were back. Anakin threw the covers off of himself and sat over the edge of his bunk before leaning forward and running his hands over his face and into his hair. Then he got up and prepared for the day. Duty came first, he told himself numerous times. Obi-Wan told him that the council refused to grant them leave to investigate these dreams and he had to follow the council's orders, even if it caused him pain to do so. _Be brave and don't look back...don't look back._ She told him not to look back and that is what he's going to do. He would do as she asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

When Leia awoke, she found Luke on the opposite bunk engrossed in a datapad. It was a sight that befuddled her because for as long as she had known him, he was never the type to sit and read for long periods of time. No, Luke has always been interested in hands-on projects and barely ever glanced at words. "What is so interesting that has you glued to that datapad?" she asked.

"It's a journal on the living force and a few prophecies. The author is someone named Qui-Gon Jinn. I did some digging and found out that he died ten years before now at the hands of a Sith. Ben killed that Sith but their still looking for the other one," Luke told her.

"You mean the Emperor?" Leia asked sitting up.

"Yeah. I just find it strange that no one can sense he's a Sith, as powerful as he is," Luke told her, not taking his eyes off of the datapad.

"My father said that the Emperor was a master manipulator who fooled the entire galaxy into thinking that he was a benevolent man with the best intentions for everyone," Leia told him.

Luke looked over at her then. "I'd be careful with that reference," he told her.

"Why?" Leia asked.

"Just be mindful of who you say it around, that's all," Luke told her, turning back to his datapad.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan returned to his quarters to find Anakin up and pacing the carpet. Surprised to see him up at this hour and not so to see him pacing, he said, "Keep it up and we'll have to have that carpet replaced. Again."

"Sorry, Master," Anakin said absentmindedly.

Obi-Wan sighed. "What is it?" he asked.

"I just can't sleep, it's nothing to worry about," Anakin told him dismissively.

Obi-Wan looked at him for a moment. "You're lying," he stated before moving into a position where Anakin would have to look at him. "You're having those dreams again," he deducted, seeing the way that Anakin avoided eye contact.

"No, I'm not," Anakin quickly answered.

Obi-Wan sighed. "It would arouse the council's suspicions if you disappeared and you're still skating on thin ice with them over the incident involving the fourth corridor," he said regretfully.

"That wasn't my fault, Master," Anakin defended himself.

"Yet, you took the blame," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Why you would take the blame for something that you actually didn't do escapes my comprehension," he said.

"I'm the likely suspect, I'm used to the council's punishments...Toby isn't," Anakin told him.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "Selflessness is a sought after virtue and makes a Jedi worthy of his duties, giving him the ability to serve the galaxy well," he said and walked closer to him. "I am sure that it is this trait alone that would make your mother proud of you," he added.

Anakin nodded. "Yes, Master," he said.

"Since you are up, why don't you make some use of your time instead of wearing out the carpet," Obi-Wan suggested.

"Yes, Master," Anakin said, abandoning his pacing to find something constructive to do.

Obi-Wan watched him, wishing that there was more that he could do to ease his padawan's mind.

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Master Yoda watched Starkiller appraisingly. It did not go unnoticed in the aging Jedi master that the man before him had spent twenty-four years as a ruthless and coldblooded Sith, yet, despite the traces of darkness that he sensed, there was a need to right a wrong, to fix an injustice and those were not things that a Sith would even consider. Yet, all of his teaches indicated that once one descends into the dark side, that the dark side would forever dominate his destiny. But here was proof that a Jedi could turn back from the dark side. It made little sense to the aging Jedi master, but he was willing to listen to an explanation. That is if Starkiller was willing to talk about what had happened to turn him from being the good Jedi that he knew he could be and to join the dark side. "Why abandon the Dark Side, did you?" he asked.

Starkiller stopped his pacing to look at the aging Jedi master. "I was forced with a choice, the life of my son or the life of the man who enslaved me. I chose my son," he answered.

Master Yoda nodded. "A noble choice is that," he said.

"Noble?" Starkiller replied. "I mean no disrespect, Master Yoda, but any noble thoughts or actions that I ever had ended when I submitted to the Sith. I was only doing what any father would do, all I cared about at that moment was if my son lived or died," he told him. "I don't expect anyone else here in the temple to even comprehend that," he added.

"Compassion, vital to a Jedi's life it is," Master Yoda said.

"I wasn't being compassionate, Master, I love my children and would gladly die for them," Starkiller told him. "And I know that that is beyond your comprehension," he added.

Master Yoda's ears folded in in acquiescence. Emotional attachments were forbidden for a Jedi and were rarely understood within the ranks of the Jedi order. "Why turn to the dark side did you?" he asked instead.

"I was afraid, more than I ever was. I foresaw my wife dying in childbirth and I was terrified of loosing her, Palpatine exploited my fears and instead of being able to turn to the Order fro help, I turned to him," Starkiller answered.

"Emotional attachments, dangerous they are," Master Yoda told him.

"No! It isn't, but since you stick to that ancient and misleading belief, you cannot comprehend how beneficial they can be," Starkiller told him. "It is this blind belief that diminished the order and allowed it to be outnumbered and to fall," he added, looking directly in the aging Jedi master's eyes. "Emotional attachments may be forbidden, but every Jedi breaks that rule when they bond with another Jedi and every Jedi is guilty of that, even yourself."

"Blame the order for your fall, do you?" Master Yoda asked.

"No, I blame my own weakness and foolishness. But if I were just able to come out and say what was bothering me, perhaps I could have turned to you or Obi-Wan rather than Palpatine," Starkiller told him.

Master Yoda nodded. "Try did you?" he asked.

"I did, but I couldn't exactly disclose my troubles so I received very little help," Starkiller told him.

"Regretful it is when a Jedi cannot confide in another for help," Master Yoda said. "Fallen so far has the Order, that help a fellow Jedi we cannot?" he asked.

"Blind is more like it," Starkiller put in.

Master Yoda's ears folded in in acquiescence once again. "Clouded our vision has been, a long time it has been," he said.

"The Order is weak, Master. The clones will crush us all and it is because of the short sightedness that will aid in it," Starkiller told him.

"Suggestions, you have?" Master Yoda asked, peering up at him.

"First we stop Palpatine before Order Sixty-Six is carried out," Starkiller told him.

"And strengthen the order we must," Master Yoda said.

Starkiller looked away and walked to a window. "Perhaps that is a part of the prophecy," he said.

Master Yoda watched him, sensing the internal struggle within him. "A reason there is for every event," he said. "Meditate on this we must," he said.

"Yes, Master," Starkiller said in acquiescence.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

When Starkiller returned to the dignitary quarters, he found it quiet and for a moment thought that no one else was there, that was before Leia came out of the refresher, combing her hair. She didn't even notice him as she combed through her hair, growing annoyed when she found a couple knots. "Blasted hair, I should cut it all off," she muttered, combing and yanking at the knots.

"No, you shouldn't," Starkiller told her, startling her.

Leia looked at him, pausing, remembering all too vividly what happened the last time that they were alone and she frowned. "When did you get back?" she asked, throwing her guard up.

"Just now," Starkiller answered, still unnerved by her desire to not be alone with him and a little hurt by it. "Where's Luke?" he asked.

"He went for some fresh air," Leia told him and continued to yank at the knots in her hair.

Starkiller could see the odd and difficult angle that the knots were at and knew that she wouldn't be able to get to them properly. "Here, let me," he said walking over to her and taking the comb from her hand.

Leia didn't say anything, too shocked to say anything when he began combing through the knots for her.

"Cutting your hair will not solve the problem," Starkiller told her. "It comes from having thick hair, I often have had the same problem," he informed her.

Leia was a little unnerved by the idea that he was doing something nice but chose not to let it show. "You seem to have done this before," she commented.

"I have," Starkiller told her, but didn't elaborate as he combed the knots out and combed the hair smooth. "I assume that you want it out of your way," he said.

"I usually braid it," Leia told him, trying to get how weird this was out of her hair and trying to stop thinking about how much of a field day this would generate if the galaxy knew that Darth Vader was combing through her hair and it grew even stranger when he began braiding it. "Since when do you know how to do hair?" she asked.

"I know how to braid hair," Starkiller told her. "A padawan braid for example is a padawan's own responsibility. A padawan is only allowed to undo it so that he can wash his hair but he must rebraid it afterwards," he told her.

"Why is that?" Leia asked, pushing all thoughts aside.

"Because the padawan braid is symbolic, it indicates the step from being an initiate to being taken on by a master for more advanced training before a Jedi is knighted. The beads that you would see a padawan wearing in his braid represent the different achievements and stages in his training. They are given to him by his master. When a Jedi is knighted, the grand master of the order cuts the padawan braid off in a knighting ceremony. The removal of the braid is symbolic to the completion of a Jedi's trials and is the last step before he is knighted," Starkiller explained.

"So it is part of a tradition," Leia deducted.

"An ancient tradition of honor," Starkiller told her as he tied the braid with a string.

Leia turned around to look at him, seeing a neutral expression on his face and she wondered if there were ever any other expression on his face, or how her mother could have possibly loved him. "Thank you," was all that she managed to say, studying his face for a moment, wondering if it would change.

Starkiller looked at her, not saying a word, waiting for her to turn away from him as he knew she would. He saw so much of himself as well as Padmè in her and knowing that she didn't trust him was painful. He wanted so much to reach out to her, to tell her how much he loved her, to hold her in his arms, but he couldn't. He didn't think that he could handle her rejection. His hand lifted on it's own violation in order to reach out to her and briefly thought of making her look him in the eye so that she could see in his eyes how he felt as he told her, but she just lowered her eyes, turning her head slightly and he dropped his hand. "I trust that there aren't any more problems," he said instead, walking away.

Leia looked over at him and watched his retreating back. His hot and cold attitude confusing her.

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Obi-Wan walked through the Room of a Thousand Fountains so that he could clear his head. He knew that it sounded crazy, but he could swear that he heard Qui-Gon talking to him in this room. Right now, he needed his master's guidance in trying to ease his padawan's troubled mind. He hadn't felt this conflicted in following an order in a long time and he wasn't really sure of what to do. He knew very well that if Anakin disobeyed the council's order of not going to Tatooine then he could end up being expelled from the order but if he didn't go and Anakin's dreams were actually visions...Obi-Wan didn't want to think about the pain that it would cause his padawan or the consequences that would follow.

"You look like you're lost."

Obi-Wan turned at the sound of a voice and saw Luke Lars sitting by a fountain in a meditation pose with his eyes closed. He looked very much at ease. "You look like you're quite at home," he pointed out.

The corners of Luke's mouth twitched. "Coruscant seems too busy to be considered calming, but here, in this room, I feel like I'm worlds away from the hustle and bustle," he said.

Obi-Wan took a position across from Luke, the boy reminding him so much of someone else. "You're not used to the city, I take it," he commented.

"No, I grew up on Tatooine. After I left I spent my time in remote worlds away from civilization while fighting the Empire, planning attacks and somehow finding a way to defeat it," Luke told him.

"So this is rather a shock for you?" Obi-Wan asked.

Luke opened his eyes to look at him. "I'm not used to so many Jedi or for it to not be considered treason to be one. The force is different too, not as bleak and dark, but louder," he told him.

"Louder?" Obi-Wan asked.

Luke nodded. "Well...with the Jedi all dead and only you, Master Yoda and... my master alive along with the Sith...the force seemed less active, like it was mostly ignored, except for the dark surges. Here, it's not only loud but bright," Luke explained.

"I see," Obi-Wan replied. "I don't think many has ever considered the force in that way...except for my master of course."

Luke looked at him. "There is another way?" he asked.

Obi-Wan looked at him, seeing that the young man sitting across from him may be young but had the mannerism of a Knight close to Masterhood, not like a Padawan. As he studied Luke some more, he could see that he had already gone through his trials. "You're not a padawan are you?" he asked.

"What makes you ask that?" Luke asked.

"I can sense that you already passed your trials," Obi-Wan told him. "So why are you masquerading as a padawan?" he asked.

"I'm not the one who came up with it," Luke told him.

"I can see why Anakin is suspicious, but I can't sense any duplicity in you. My master once said that there are things that the force can do that not many would believe," Obi-Wan told him. "So who are you really?" he asked.

"I'd rather not say right now," Luke told him evasively.

"I can only distract my padawan from forcing the information out of you for so long without any information," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"It's too soon for any more information," Luke told him, throwing up mental barriers.

Obi-Wan kept himself from frowning. "It would be better to confide in me, Luke," he said.

"I don't want to endanger anyone or my mission here," Luke told him. "Please understand," he asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I understand," he said, mentally trying to figure out how to gain Luke's trust in this matter, he already sensed a bond with the boy which was even more confusing.

"Thank you," Luke said and stood up. "I'm going to grab something from the kitchen, do you want anything?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," Obi-Wan replied and watched him go. _Who are you really and why do I sense some sort of bond?_ He thought to himself.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anakin watched Starkiller closely as he and Obi-Wan shared an evening meal with Starkiller, Luke and Leia in their quarters. Starkiller, Anakin decided, was the source of the duplicity. He had noticed that Luke and Leia mostly followed Starkiller's lead like some sort of guide while it was Starkiller who spewed the web of lies. What was more was the very obvious fact that Starkiller was hiding something. The way that Starkiller skirted around topics skillfully or when he would disappear for periods of time was highly suspicious. Anakin wasn't even counting the hints of darkness that surrounded Starkiller, but they came off in waves, sometimes stronger than others. But then Anakin added the factors that were Luke and Leia. Those two didn't act like padawans and they never referred to Starkiller as Master. Leia in particular didn't seem to trust Starkiller all that much, skillfully veiling her hostility and Luke gave Starkiller his trust guardedly. If they were really Starkiller's padawans then they would trust him with their lives, but they clearly didn't. There were too many holes in their story and that made Anakin very suspicious.

"I was speaking to Master Yoda earlier," Luke announced.

"Oh? What for?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I needed some advise," Luke answered evasively. "But then we started talking about the Jedi Code and how I found two versions and one thing about them didn't make sense to me and I asked him about it, but it still doesn't make sense," he told them.

"What would that be?" Obi-Wan asked.

"There is no emotion, there is peace..."

Leia interrupted Luke, "No emotion, what are we talking about, droids?" she asked.

"I think Threepio would be offended," Luke told her quietly, earning him a look that said, "no kidding," from Leia. "My question is how can we be expected to not feel emotion?" Luke asked around the room.

"You can't. Denying your feelings is a fools errand. But it is fear that makes many Jedi strive to," Starkiller answered him.

"And fear is a path to the dark side..." Luke put in.

"If every Jedi is afraid to show emotion then why aren't they all falling to the dark side?" Leia asked.

"Compliance. Every Jedi in this temple has been indoctrinated into following the code from a very young age, they don't even question it," Starkiller told her.

"That was one of the things that my master was notorious for pointing out. He was considered to be a rogue amongst many, but he was one of the few that was most in tuned with the force, barely ever straying away from the light," Obi-Wan put in. He then looked over at Anakin briefly. "Of course my padawan seems quite bent on following his footsteps," he added.

"Why aren't you, Master?" Anakin asked, looking at Obi-Wan.

"Qui-Gon Jinn was a whole different breed of Jedi, he was a living force Master, I on the other hand failed in my understanding of the living force," Obi-Wan said, looking at Anakin.

"I've been reading about him," Luke said, "He wrote a lot about the living force and about this prophecy of the chosen one..." this last part earning him some rather hard looks from both Starkiller and Anakin. Luke felt a little uneasy with the way they were staring at him and rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been taking advantage of the special privileges that Master Yoda granted me in the archives," he explained.

"So it seems," Starkiller said and everyone tried to guess on whether he meant that praisingly or disdainfully.

"So Every Jedi walks around trying to imitate droids by not allowing themselves to feel emotion..." Leia began.

"Not every Jedi..." Anakin piped up. "There are some who don't believe in ignoring their feelings."

"And they are the ones that the majority fear," Starkiller pointed out which Anakin narrowed his eyes at him. "Fear is a tricky thing isn't it?" he said looking Anakin in the eye.

Anakin didn't say anything to that, not wanting to give any credit to Starkiller.

"The majority fears the jedi who allows emotion to seep through, they have for centuries and that will not change overnight," Starkiller continued.

"Are you talking about the great schism?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The great what?" Luke and Leia asked.

"It was a long time ago. A group of Jedi fell into the belief that true power was achieved not through pensive meditation, as taught by their Jedi Masters, but through emotion. It's how the Sith generally started out," Obi-Wan explained. "Most knowledge on the subject is forbidden writing so not many Jedi know much about it, but my master was knowledgeable about it."

"So those Jedi fell to the dark side?" Luke asked.

"You can say that they were lead astray by their emotions," Obi-Wan said.

"They were lead astray because they didn't know how to properly channel their emotions," Starkiller put in. "And the Order is still bent on suppressing emotion which will enable many Jedi who are emotional to be lead astray."

"Are you saying that it's not their fault for turning to the dark side?" Anakin asked pointedly.

"Partially," Starkiller answered. "A Jedi can learn how to properly channel his emotions, but if he is careless he will fall," he said with certainty.

"You sound like you sympathize with the Sith," Anakin said accusingly.

"I have sympathy for those lost to the ways of the Sith, not to the Sith themselves," Starkiller told him.

"I don't see the difference," Anakin told him.

"Think of it this way, a good Jedi could follow the code all his life, but he could be a little... emotional, shall we say, he forms attachments to people, caring for them deeply but then something happens and fear settles in and he gets desperate. This opens up a door for darker emotions that would eventually consume him, turning him into someone else. The good Jedi that he was is lost inside the confines of a Sith," Starkiller explained. "Now everyone that he was once able to turn to has rejected him, deeming him unsavable because they were taught so at an early age, so he remains delved deep in the ways of the Sith without anyone willing to help him find his way again," he finished.

Anakin looked at Starkiller after that statement, thinking that he was speaking a bit too personally. "It sounds as if you have had personal dealings with the sith," he said evenly.

"I know more about the ways of the sith than I care to," Starkiller said darkly.

"Really?" Anakin said suspiciously.

"How would you describe the sith?" Starkiller asked keeping any emotion from his voice as he clasped both hands behind his back and walked closer to him, never breaking eye contact.

"The sith are evil, they live and breath as..."

"Monsters?" Starkiller said, supplying the word for him. "There are several different categories of monsters but the sith fall under the most dangerous category. They draw their power through killing, torture and revenge and they have managed to get away with it this long and will continue to get away with it because they are skilled at hiding themselves from the jedi. That is why they have a detailed plot to destroy every jedi alive, a plot that has been in motion long before the death of Qui-Gon Jinn and no jedi alive has the foresight to detect it because the dark side clouds everything," he said.

"So you came here to stop it, is that your story?" Anakin demanded.

"No, my being here is an accident, but I will be taking the opportunity that has been presented," Starkiller answered.

"If you really are from the future as you say you are, then you know who the sith lord is," Anakin said challengingly. He watched Starkiller's reaction closely, at first seeing no reaction before a feral grin slowly broke out across his face which made that horribly scarred face seem more sinister. A chill ran down Anakin's spine as the expression was made even more sinister by the maniacal glint of blood lust in his eyes. Anakin could sense the temperature drop for a moment as well as the fear from Luke and Leia at that face. Even Obi-Wan seemed disturbed.

"Yes, I know exactly who the sith lord is as well as his current apprentice," Starkiller said slowly.

"Then why don't you tell us!" Anakin snapped.

"I can't do that," Starkiller told him, his expression changing to a serious one.

"Why not?" Anakin demanded.

"Because you are not ready for that piece of information yet," Starkiller told him.

"And what makes you the judge of that? You don't even know me!" Anakin snapped hotly.

"You should mind your temper, you don't even realize where it can lead you," Starkiller told him, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Tell me who the sith lord is!" Anakin demanded.

"No," Starkiller told him.

"Why? Are you protecting them? Do you want them to win?" Anakin demanded.

"I'm not protecting anyone but the truth is sometimes right under your nose but you refuse to see it because you do not want to believe it. Do you want to know why I refuse to tell you what you want to hear? I'll tell you. The only one stopping you from figuring out this mystery is yourself. You see yourself as cut above the rest just because Qui-Gon Jinn believed that you are the chosen one of an ancient jedi prophecy and because you have the highest midi-chlorine count in recorded history. You are arrogant and impatient. You are also quick to anger but that is the trickiest of the bunch. You can work on gaining some patience but you refuse to let go of your anger because you believe that you have to right to be angry. Every slave deserves to be angry. But if you don't learn to let go of your anger you will slowly find yourself doing unthinkable things like slaughtering an entire tribe of indigenous beings because they hurt you or someone that you love. You may feel some remorse afterward but that would go away once you decide that you hate them for what they have done. That hate and anger can manifest itself again and again as you kill again and even that could be addicting because every kill that you make, makes you feel even more powerful and you crave power so you do it again until you wake up and find yourself the very thing that you have sworn to destroy," Starkiller told him, keeping his voice neutral as he circled him and watched his reaction. He watched the different emotions that ran across Anakin's face as he struggled with this.

"You disgust me," Anakin said tightly, looking Starkiller in the eye.

"The truth hurts doesn't it," Starkiller told him evenly.

"Why should it? We're not speaking about me," Anakin said evenly. "I'm not the monster here," he added.

"Because you can see it in yourself if you are really brave enough to look deep inside yourself. You would gladly do anything for the people that you love, even kill for them, without a moment's hesitation," Starkiller said.

"I see nothing of the sort," Anakin told him coldly. "I am a jedi, not a murderer."

"And that alone gives you the skills to become a deadly assassin. Quick and easy, they would never see it coming," Starkiller said darkly.

"Only a sith would do something like that," Anakin told him tightly. "No jedi would do that, it's not in our nature..."

"How do you think the sith started out?" Starkiller asked. "No one sets out to become a monster, it isn't something we are born with but something we are made into," he told him.

"You sound like you're speaking a little too personally," Anakin told him.

"What if I am?" Starkiller asked stoically.

Obi-Wan, having heard enough stood up. "This bickering challenge cannot be productive in working as a team, Anakin," he said with a hint of warning.

Anakin threw his master a dirty look before conceding. "Of course, Master," he said, secretly vowing to get to the bottom of whatever Starkiller was hiding.

"I think that it has gotten late enough, we have an early day tomorrow," Obi-Wan said looking at Anakin.

"Yes, Master," Anakin acquitted.

"I wish you a pleasant rest," Obi-Wan said looking at Starkiller, Luke and Leia. "Anakin," he said turning towards the door.

Anakin gave Starkiller one last look, hoping that he knew that he was on to him before departing with Obi-Wan.


	9. And So It Begins

**A/N:**_ One more chapter. Sorry if there are any numerous mistakes in here. I did my best to skim through them._

_Translation between basic and huttese:_

_duble-maskie dopa-meeky posku kuchi hongut - two-faced double-crossing acid pig heart_

* * *

It was early morning over Coruscant not long after the sun rose and reached the middle of the city that rested on the planet when two sleek yellow Naboo fighters entered the atmosphere followed by a J-type diplomatic barge from Naboo. The ships barely made any noise and barely disturbed the planet any more than any other ship. But from the moment that it entered the atmosphere it was closely monitored. The ships skimmed across the surface of the city landscape. The sun glittering off the chrome hulls of the sleek Naboo spacecraft as they navigated between the buildings of the capital planet. Finally the two Naboo Fighters landed on one leaf of a three-leaf-clover landing platform. The Naboo Cruiser landed on the central leaf, and the third Fighter landed on the remaining platform.

A small group of dignitaries wait to welcome the Senator. One of the fighter pilots jumped from the wing of his ship and removed his helmet. He was a dark skinned human male and head of the security for the senator. He moved over to the female pilot of the other fighter.

"We made it. I guess I was wrong, there was no danger at all," Captain Typho, the head of the senator's security said

The ramp of the J-type diplomatic barge lowered. Two Naboo guards appeared. The senator, one handmaiden and four troopers descended the ramp

The dignitaries started to move forward. the senator reached the foot of the ramp, when suddenly there was a blinding flash and a huge explosion. The dignitaries and pilots were hurled to the ground as the starship was destroyed.

Klaxons blared and alarms sounded! Captain Typho and the female pilot got up and ran to where the senator lie dying. Beyond, Artoo Detoo dropped down from the Naboo Fighter and rolled toward the wreckage. The female escort pilot knelt by the senator and took off her helmet, revealing that she was, in fact, Senator Amidala.

"Cordé..." Padmè cried desperately, gathering up her decoy double in her arms. Cordé's eyes

opened. She looked up at her.

" ...I'm so sorry, Milady... I'm... not sure I... I've failed you, Senator," Cordé said dying.

"No...!" Padmè cried.

"Milady, you are still in danger here," Captain Typho said urgently

Padmè lowered Cordé to the ground. She got up and looked around at the devastation. There were tears in her eyes. "I shouldn't have come back," she said hollowly.

"This vote is very important. You did your duty - Cordé did hers. Now come," Captain Typho told her but she didn't respond, she just stood still. " Senator Amidala, please!" he urged. Finally she turned and they walked away. Artoo let out a small whimper and rolled after them.

Miles away from the wreckage, a lone figure stood on the roof of the Jedi Temple, watching with one thought in mind: _And so it begins._

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The vast rotunda was buzzing with chatter. It was no different than any other session but lately all the senators were bickering over the Military Creation Act. Most were for it when dealing with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, something that Chancellor Samael Palpatine, secretly Darth Sidious, had secretly ordered his current Apprentice, Darth Tyranus or as the galaxy knew him, Count Dooku, to put together. Of course Palpatine's hopes of creating an Army of the Republic for his own nefarious needs under the guise of aiding the Republic was being met with resistance from a group of Senators calling themselves the Delegation of 2000 with Senator Amidala leading the campaign against the Military Creation Act. Amidala was nothing but a thorn in Palpatine's side and in his eyes a pathetic excuse for a being because she happened to be a bleeding heart. Which is why he planned to get rid of her and waited for word from his contact to assure him that the Senator's ship had been blown to bits which he received very shortly as his aid, Mas Amedda tried to get the squabbling senators to settle down while Palpatine made a show of conferring with an aid, Uv Gizen who rode a small one man scooter.

"Order! We shall have order! The motion for the Republic to commission an army takes precedent, and that is what we will vote on at this time," Mas Amedda called over the masses.

Everything quieted down. The aid dispersed, and Palpatine stepped to the podium. "...My esteemed colleagues, excuse me... I have just received some tragic and disturbing news. Senator Amidala of the Naboo system has been assassinated!" he announced to the masses which was met with shock silence in the vast arena. "This grievous blow is especially personal to me. Before I became Chancellor, I served Amidala when she was Queen. She was a great leader who fought for justice, not only here in this honorable assembly, but also on her home planet. She was so loved she could have been elected Queen for life. She believed in public service, and she fervently believed in democracy. Her death is a great loss to us all. We will all mourn her as a relentless champion of freedom... and as a dear friend," he continued, showing his remorse to the public but inside he was pleased with the outcome.

There was a moment of silence. Ask Aak, the senator of Malastare, moved his pod into the center of the arena. "How many more Senators will die before this civil strife ends! We must confront these rebels now, and we need an army to do it!" he called.

A second pod moves into the center of the area with Darsana, the ambassador of Glee Anselm "Why weren't the Jedi able to stop this assassination? We are no longer safe, under their protection!" Darsana questioned.

Senator Orn Free Taa swung forward in his pod. "The Republic needs more security now! Before it comes to war!" he called.

"Must I remind the Senator from Malastare that negotiations are continuing with the separatists. Peace is our objective here... not war," Palpatine called, maintaining his public image.

The senators yelled pro and con. Mas Amedda tried to calm things down. Then Senator Amidala miraculously appeared, with Captain Typho, Jar Jar Binks, and her handmaiden, Dormé, maneuvering her pod into the center of the vast arena. "My noble colleagues, I concur with the Supreme Chancellor. At all costs, we do not want war!" Amidala called and the senate grew quiet at seeing her before the chamber erupted in applause.

Palpatine, however, had to keep himself from frowning at her sudden appearance, not pleased one bit. "It is with great surprise and joy the chair recognizes the Senator from Naboo, Padmè Amidala," he called to the masses.

Senator Amidala looked around the room, knowing that she had to convince them away from this heinous act. "Less than an hour ago, an assassination attempt was made against my life. One of my bodyguards and six others were ruthlessly and senselessly murdered. I was the target but, more importantly, I believe this security measure before you, was the target. I have led the opposition to build an army... but there is someone in this body who will stop at nothing to assure its passage..." she was interrupted by many booing and yelling, but she was not deterred. "I warn you, if you vote to create this army, war will follow. I have experienced the misery of war firsthand; I do not wish to do it again!" she called to them and was interrupted by sporadic yelling for and against her statements. Frustrated she spoke up to them again. "Wake up, Senators... you must wake up! If we offer the separatists violence, they can only show us violence in return! Many will lose their lives. All will lose their freedom. This decision could very well destroy the very foundation of our great Republic. I pray you, do not let fear push you into a disastrous decision. Vote down this security measure, which is nothing less than a declaration of war! Does anyone here want that? I cannot believe they do."

There was an undercurrent of booing and groaning before Senator Orn Free Taa moved his pod next to Senator Amidala. "My motion to defer the vote must be dealt with first. That is the rule of law!" he called

Senator Amidala looked angry and frustrated which pleased Palpatine as he gave her a sympathetic look before looking around the chamber. "Due to the lateness of the hour and the seriousness of this motion, we will take up these matters tomorrow. Until then, the Senate stands adjourned," he called, secretly trying to figure out a way to get rid of Senator Amidala for this important vote, hardly able to wait for the moment when he could crush democracy once and for all.

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It was midmorning when the familiar staccato made itself known on Starkiller's comlink. Taking it from his belt, he quickly scanned the message before looking at Luke and Leia. "We're being summoned to Master Yoda's quarters," he informed them.

"When?" Luke asked.

"Now," Starkiller told him. "And make yourselves presentable," he told them.

"Why?" Leia asked, piling her long braid up ontop of her head.

"Because I know what this about," Starkiller answered, grabbing his black jedi cloak and throwing it on.

"And that is?" Leia questioned.

"Your mother arrived on Coruscant yesterday morning for the Military Creation act, she's leading the opposition against it which is why there are assassination attempts made against her life. From my memory, the vote was put on hold yesterday afternoon afternoon in the senate," Starkiller told them.

"I remember my father telling me about it," Leia said and then received some rather hard looks from both Starkiller and Luke. Luke gave her a look of betrayal while Starkiller gave her a look of steel before promptly walking out the door.

"I told you about that reference," Luke hissed before following their father.

Leia quickly grabbed her lightsaber before following them through the corridors feeling the tenion filled silence the whole way to Master Yoda's chambers.

They were granted immediate entrance and were greeted by a second figure other than Master Yoda. Starkiller literally froze at seeing Mace Windu standing pensively by the window, staring at the Jedi master like he had seen a ghost while Luke and Leia noticed their father's reaction and stared at the Korun Jedi master with curiosity.

"I am Master Windu. Master Yoda has been kind enough to fill me in on what is going on," Mace said.

"And what would that be?" Starkiller asked, inwardly wincing at the less than cordial tone in his voice.

Mace stared at him rather hard. "I am told that you three spent a great deal on a remote planet in training and deep mediation. He also informs me of your clear vision through the cloud of darkness," he said.

"So we have," Starkiller replied and walked fully into the room. "I must apologize for my reaction, Master Windu. I was taken off guard at seeing you," he said stepping closer to the man.

"I understand," Mace said.

"I don't think you do," Starkiller said.

Mace folded his arms over his chest. "Is that so?" he asked.

Luke and Leia watched this exchange, each sensing the rivalry that their father bore with Mace Windu but didn't say anything.

"It is," Starkiller said. "I assume that Master Yoda has informed you of the identity of the Sith Lord."

"He has," Mace replied. "I admit that I am quite surprised."

"Then I must inform you that Darth Sidious is a tremendous threat and more powerful than you can imagine. While you can most definitely hold your own against him, if you do not receive aid, he will kill you," Starkiller told him.

"We shall see," Mace said frowning.

"I have seen it in a vision," Starkiller told him. "You and a number of the council would end up going to his office to arrest him after you receive word that he is in fact a Sith Lord, you are the last to remain standing, but in the end you die," he informed him.

"Vision or not, the future is always in motion. It would do you well to remember that," Mace told him.

"Yes, I am very well aware of that," Starkiller told him. "I am merely forewarning you of your own arrogance. You may think that you can take him on your own but you know as well as I that only one Jedi can do so."

"If you are speaking of Skywalker, then you must not have a very good grasp of his personality or his loyalties," Mace told him.

Starkiller frowned. "I think we all know that you never welcomed him to the ranks of the Order all that well to begin with. You judge him but do not take the time to get a real feel of where his loyalties lie. As for personality wise, you condemn that which you do not know," he said before turning to Master Yoda. "I assume that we're here to join you in the meeting with the Chancellor," he said.

"Know him well do you. Tell us of what you notice you will," Master Yoda told him.

Starkiller merely smiled. "It will be my pleasure, Master," he said.

"We were waiting for you to arrive before boarding the shuttle," Mace said, taking offense at Starkiller's attitude, greatly reminded of someone else.

"Then by all means," Starkiller said, and turned in time to see Luke and Leia masking their alarm at being near Palpatine.

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Starkiller, Luke and Leia followed as Yoda, Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Mace Windu lead the way through the opulent senate building. Starkiller payed extra attention to Luke and Leia who were both silent. "I want the two of you to remain silent through this," he ordered.

"Why is that?" Leia asked coolly.

"I know you two well enough to know that you will say something...out of turn, and that alone will arouse suspicion," Starkiller said. "Say nothing and follow my lead," he ordered strictly as they reached the Chancellor's office and were granted access by the red robed guards.

Yoda, Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Mace Windu each took their seats in front of the Chancellor's desk while Starkiller, Luke and Leia stood behind them silently, each wearing stoic masks while paying attention closely.

Palpatine offered them a relieved smile. "I am grateful to see you, Masters Jedi. I don't know how much longer I can hold off the vote, my friends. More and more star systems are joining the separatists" he said.

"If they do break away..." Mace began.

"I will not let this Republic that has stood for a thousand years be split in two. My negotiations will not fail!" Palpatine averred, interrupting him.

Mace frowned at the interruption. "If they do, you must realize there aren't enough Jedi to protect the Republic. We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers," he said.

"And yet, we will be forced to take on that role should war break out," Starkiller said pointedly.

Mace frowned, turning his head slightly to look at Starkiller. "Soldiers we are not, Starkiller," he said disdainfully.

"Master Yoda, do you think it will really come to war?" Palpatine asked concerned.

Yoda closed his eyes. "Worse than war, I fear... Much worse," he said.

"What?" Palpatine asked concerned.

Mace turned to Master Yoda. "What do you sense, Master?" he asked.

"The Dark Side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is. But this I am sure of," Master Yoda opened his eyes and looked Palpatine in the eye. "Do their duty, the Jedi will," he said.

A muted buzzer sounded and a hologram of an aide, Dar Wac, appeared on the Chancellor's desk. "The loyalist committee has arrived, my Lord," he said.

"Good. We will discuss this matter later. Send them in," Palpatine said.

They all stand as Senator Amidala, Captain Typho, Mas Amedda, Dormé, and senators, Bail Organa, Jar Jar Binks, and Horox Ryyder and their attendants enter the office with Senator Amidala in the lead, holding herself regally.

Starkiller watched as she entered the room, a thousand emotions running through him at once. Her beauty radiating through the room as well as her willful determination. Everything in him screamed to go to her, to touch her to make sure that she was real, but he held himself back, summoning all of his self restraint while keeping his eyes on her.

Luke and Leia noticed where their father was looking, each looking at the senator in the lead and they instantly knew who she was but then Leia saw Senator Organa and she felt torn between the two senators.

Master Yoda and Mace walked over to them while Master Yoda tapped Senator Amidala with his gimer stick. "Padmè, your tragedy on the landing platform, terrible. With you the force is strong... young Senator. Seeing you alive brings warm feeling to my heart," he said.

"Thank you, Master Yoda. Do you have any idea who was behind the attack?" Senator Amidala asked.

"Our intelligence points to disgruntled spice miners, on the moons of Naboo," Mace informed her.

"I think that Count Dooku was behind it," Senator Amidala told him, taking slight offense at the implication of the moons of her homeworld.

There was a stir of surprise. The Jedi masters looked at one another.

"He is a political idealist, not a murderer," Ki-Adi-Mundi said.

"You know, Milady, Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He couldn't assassinate anyone. It's not in his character," Mace put in.

"Just because he was once a Jedi does not mean a damn thing, Master Windu," Starkiller said. "Was it out of character when Jedi from the past have fallen to the Dark Side?" he challenged.

Mace sent Starkiller a dirty look but before he could say anything the Chancellor spoke up.

"Master Jedi, are you implying that we are dealing with a Sith Lord?" Palpatine asked, slightly alarmed.

Starkiller turned to him. "It is possible, Chancellor," he said, eying him closely and grew satisfied when he sensed Palpatine's guard rise. _That's right, I know exactly who and what you are, Sidious,_ he thought to himself.

To Palpatine's credit, he didn't flinch. "Then we should take precautions, shouldn't we, Master Yoda?" he said.

"In dark times nothing is what it appears to be," Master Yoda said. "But the fact remains for certain, Senator, in grave danger you are," he said turning to Senator Amidala.

Palpatine got up, walked to the window, and looked out at the vast city. "Master Jedi, may I suggest that the Senator be placed under the protection of your graces," he suggested thoughtfully.

"Do you think that is a wise decision during these stressful times?" Senator Organa demanded.

Senator Amidala looked indignant at the suggestion and began to protest, "Chancellor, if I may comment, I do not believe the..."

Palpatine turned to her. "...'situation is that serious.' No, but I do, Senator," he said.

"Chancellor, please! I don't want any more guards!" Senator Amidala protested.

"I realize all too well that additional security might be disruptive for you, but perhaps someone you are familiar with... an old friend like... Master Kenobi..." Palpatine suggested.

Starkiller was not able to keep himself from throwing a sharp look in Palpatine's direction, not having known about this before.

Mace nodded. "That's possible. He has just returned from a Border dispute on Ansion," he said.

"You must remember him, Milady... he watched over you during the blockade conflict," Palpatine prompted.

"This is not necessary, Chancellor," Senator Amidala protested willfully.

"Do it for me, Milady, please. I will rest easier. We had a big scare today. The thought of losing you is unbearable," Palpatine implored.

Senator Amidala gave an exasperated sigh as the Jedi got up to leave.

"I will have Obi-Wan report to you immediately, Milady,"

"Too little about yourself you worry, Senator, and too much about politics. Be mindful of your danger, Padmè. Accept our help," Master Yoda said to her.

On his way out the door, Starkiller paused before Senator Amidala. "You may not worry much about your own safety, Milady, but think about the toll it takes upon your loved ones," he said and she looked at him hard before he nodded to her before leaving, Luke and Leia following him, but glancing back towards her direction as they left.

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Starkiller, Luke and Leia returned to the dignitary quarters, neither had said a word while Starkiller strode into the common room, taking off his jedi cloak and tossing it over the back of a sofa, going straight for a side table with a few glasses and a pitcher of water and poured himself a glass of water. He brought the glass up to his mouth the drink from it before thinking better and threw the glass against the wall where it shattered making Luke and Leia wince but he didn't pay attention to them and began pacing. "All this time...it was all orchestrated by him...and here I thought the council came to that decision on their own when it was that filthy kung who suggested it!" he snapped angrily. "He knew what would happen! He...that's how he knew..." this realization made him even angrier. "Why that duble-maskie dopa-meeky posku kuchi hongut! I should have seen it all along!" he growled.

Luke moved over to clean up the mess by the wall but stopped with his father's voice.

"Leave it. That's what droids are for, you would only cut yourself," Starkiller commanded, his mood somewhat defused.

"So are we also involved with the protection of..."Leia began.

"Yes," Starkiller said, interrupting her. "Sit down and I'll brief you both on what happens from here," he instructed.

Luke and Leia complied, not wishing to anger him further and listened to him as they discussed what was to happen.

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Anakin and Obi-Wan, Starkiller, Luke and Leia rode in a windowed turbo lift attached to the outside of the Senate Building on their way to Senator Amidala's apartments. Anakin nervously rearranged his robes, a little miffed at having Starkiller, Luke and Leia tagging along. He even didn't want Obi-Wan to join him on this, wishing to be alone with the senator but he could tolerate Obi-Wan's presence since he was the main reason why he was going to see Padmè in the first place with the council's permission.

"You seem a little on edge, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, looking at his padawan.

"Not at all," Anakin said, as he stopped fidgeting and managed to retain an outward appearance of being calm.

"I haven't felt you this tense since we fell into that nest of gundarks," Obi-Wan observed.

"You fell into that nightmare, Master, and I rescued you, remember?" Anakin replied looking at his master.

Obi-Wan looked contrite "Oh yes," he said and then began to chuckle and soon after ward Anakin joined him. "You're sweating. Relax. Take a deep breath," Obi-Wan advised once the humor of that past situation died away.

"I haven't seen her in ten years, Master," Anakin told him, not mentioning the communication he had taken part in over the years.

"She's not the Queen anymore, Anakin," Obi-Wan reminded him.

"That's not why I'm nervous," Anakin admitted quietly.

Meanwhile, Starkiller stepped in front of Luke and adjusted his son's robes for him. "Just because you're not used to the traditional garb doesn't mean that you have to look like you threw it on in haste," he admonished quietly.

"Will she really care?" Luke asked quietly.

"They always do," Leia answered, pulling herself together with regal grace.

The lift stopped and Obi-Wan and Anakin were the first to step off, and were greeted by a well dressed gungan.

"Obi! Obi! Obi! Mesa sooo smilen to seein yousa. Wahooooo!" Jar Jar Binks exclaimed excitedly upon seeing them.

Obi-Wan smiled. "It's good to see you, too, Jar Jar," he said.

Jar Jar then noticed the young man beside Obi-Wan as Starkiller, Luke and Leia stepped off of the turbo lift and paused. "...and this, I take it, is your apprentice... Noooooooo! Annie? Noooooooo! Little bitty Ani? Noooooooo! Yousa so biggen! Yiyiyiyyi! Ani!!"he exclaimed excitedly.

Anakin gave Jar Jar an amused smile. "Hi, Jar Jar," he barely got the words out before Jar Jar grabbed hold of him in a big hug.

Leia looked at Starkiller and rose an eyebrow, "Ani?" she questioned.

Starkiller frowned at the fact that she was making fun. "It's what my mother called me," he told her quietly so no one but she and Luke could hear.

"Remind you of anyone?" Luke said leaning close to Leia and nodding to the gungan and where Anakin was trying to get away after being held onto tightly.

"Yes, Chewie," Leia answered.

"Shesa expecting yousa. Ani... Mesa no believen!," Jar Jar said letting Anakin go and leading the way into the apartment where Padmè was in a conference with Captain Typho and Dormè on the balcony.

"Mesa here. Lookie... lookie... Senator. Desa Jedi arriven," Jar Jar announced.

Padmè and Typho left the balcony to greet them while Dormè made herself busy.

Obi-Wan stepped forward. Anakin stared at Padmè and she briefly glanced at him before turning her attention to Obi-Wan. While Starkiller, Luke and Leia stood behind Obi-Wan and Anakin

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Milady," Obi-Wan said.

Padmè took his hand in hers. "It has been far too long Master Kenobi. I'm so glad our paths have crossed again... but I must warn you that I think your presence here is unnecessary," she said.

"I'm sure the Jedi Council has their reasons," Obi-Wan assured her.

Padmè didn't say anything before moving in front of Anakin. "Ani?" she asked disbelievingly. "My goodness, you've grown," she said.

"So have you... grown more beautiful, I mean... and much shorter... for a Senator, I mean," Anakin replied trying to be smooth but ending up tongue tied.

Luke leaned closer to his father. "Smooth," he commented quietly and Starkiller frowned, having kept himself from groaning while watching this.

Obi-Wan looked disapprovingly at his padawan while Padmè laughed and shook her head. "Oh Ani, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine," she said.

"Ouch," Luke said quietly looking at his father who kept a stoic expression on his face.

Padmè then glanced in Starkiller, Luke and Leia's direction. "I don't believe we have met," she said.

"Forgive me, Milady, I am Knight Aaron Starkiller and these are my padawans, Luke and Leia," Starkiller said introducing himself and Luke and Leia.

"I thought that the Jedi council were only sending Master Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker here," Padmè said, clearly disapproving more additional security.

"Our presence will be invisible, Milady, I can assure you," Obi-Wan assured her diplomatically.

"I should hope so, Master Kenobi," Padmè said as she walked over to the middle of the room where she conferred with Dormè.

Captain Typho looked over at the Jedi. "I'm very grateful you're here, Master Kenobi. I'm Captain Typho, head of Her Majesty's security service. Queen Jamillia has informed you of your assignment. The situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit," he said as they walked over to join Padmè and each took seats.

"I don't need more security, I need answers. I want to know who is trying to kill me," Padmè told them strictly.

Obi-Wan frowned. "We're here to protect you Senator, not to start an investigation," he told her.

"We will find out who's trying to kill you Padmè, I promise you." Anakin said looking Padmè in the eye and at Obi-Wan's dirty look he looked down and bit hid lip in frustration having done it again.

"We will not exceed our mandate, my young Padawan!" Obi-Wan said strictly.

Anakin looked at him. "I meant in the interest of protecting her, Master, of course," he told him.

"We will not go through this exercise again, Anakin. And you will pay attention to my lead," Obi-Wan told him strictly and turned back to Padmè.

"Why?" Anakin blurted out challengingly.

"What??!!" Obi-Wan exclaimed looking back at Anakin sharply.

"Why else do you think we were assigned to protect her, if not to find the killer? Protection is a job for local security... not Jedi. It's overkill, Master. Investigation is implied in our mandate," Anakin told him.

"We will do exactly as the Council has instructed, and you will learn your place, young one," Obi-Wan told him strictly.

Padmè, having heard enough said, "Perhaps with merely your presence, the mysteries surrounding this threat will be revealed. Now, if you will excuse me, I will retire," and stood up with Dormè, everyone stood and gave her a bow as she left the room.

"Well, I know I feel a lot better having you here. I'll have an officer situated on every floor and I'll be at the control center downstairs," Captain Typho told the Jedi.

"I'm sure that you are," Starkiller said nodding to the man as he left. He then motioned for Luke and Leia to follow him out to the balcony. They followed him and he made sure that no one could hear him. "I'm going to leave the two of you on your own for this one," he told them.

"Why" Leia asked, not too sure of him being out of sight.

"I'm going to Tatooine," Starkiller explained. "My mother is currently in trouble and if I don't get her now, she will die and that will cause grave consequences."

"So how long will you be gone?" Luke asked.

"I won't be back until you two have left for Naboo," Starkiller told them. "I must stress for you both to stay out of the way," he said strictly.

"Why is that?" Leia asked dubiously.

"Because if you don't you both might cease to exist," Starkiller answered. "Now, keep your mouths shut about certain things. Revealing everything will cause complications," he said before leaving the balcony, Luke and Leia following as he made his way over towards Obi-Wan.

"Mesa busten wit happiness seein yousa again, Ani. Deesa bad times, bombad times," Jar Jar said to Anakin.

"She hardly recognized me, Jar Jar. I've thought about her every day since we parted... and she's acting like we haven't been talking since then," Anakin said morosely.

"Shesa happy. Happier den mesa seein her in longo time," Jar Jar assured him.

"Anakin, you're focusing on the negative again. Be mindful of your thoughts," Obi-Wan admonished him. "She was pleased to see us," he told him. "Now lets check the security here," he instructed.

"Yes, Master," Anakin said.

Starkiller approached them. "Master Kenobi, I am entrusting my padawans to you for the time being," he said.

"Why is that?" Obi-Wan asked.

"There is something that I must do, I'm afraid that it will take a while," Starkiller explained.

"And that would be?" Anakin questioned suspiciously.

"It is personal," Starkiller told him, be fore turning to Luke and Leia. "Remember what I told you," he said before leaving.


	10. The Chase

**A/N:**_ One more chapter. Sorry if there are any numerous mistakes in here. I did my best to skim through them._

* * *

An armor-clad bounty hunter, Jango Fett, waited on the ledge of a skyscraper as an assassin, Zam Wesell, a changeling, stepped from her air speeder and approached Fett.

"I hit the ship, but they used a decoy," Zam told him.

"We'll have to try something more subtle this time, Zam. My client is getting impatient," Fett told her and handed her a transparent tube about a foot long containing centipede-like kouhuns. "Take these. Be careful. They're very poisonous," he told her.

Zam attached her veil across the bottom of her face. She turned to leave, but Fett called her back.

"Zam, there can be no mistakes this time," Fett warned her.

She turned again, and walked toward her speeder.

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Luke and Leia stood out on the balcony by themselves in Senator Amidala's apartment. Each a little unsure of what to do at this point, having been thrust into uncharted territory and their only guide in this unknown galaxy had up and left them with a strong warning to stay out of the way. They both knew the consequences of one wrong move and that alone made them worry about what their next move would be. "Any idea on what we'll do now?" Luke asked.

"None," Leia said. "What are we to do, Luke? We're on uncharted territory here..."

"We'll ride this out, see what we can and shouldn't do, we'll know when we see it," Luke said, his eyes resting across the room to where Anakin was standing in the living room. He was in a meditative state. It was quiet. They heard distant footsteps in the corridor outside the apartment. Suddenly Anakin's eyes snap open. His eyes dart around the room and he reached for his lightsaber, then smiled and put it back on his belt.

The door to the apartment slid open, and Obi-Wan entered. "Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs. No assassin will try that way. Any activity up here?" he asked.

"Quiet as a tomb. I don't like just waiting here for something to happen to her," Anakin answered.

Obi-Wan checked a palm-sized view scanner he had pulled out of his utility belt. It showed a shot of Artoo by the door, but no sign of Padmè on the bed. "What's going on?" he asked looking at Anakin, knowing that it had something to do with him.

Anakin shrugged. "She covered the cameras. I don't think she liked me watching her," he answered.

"What is she thinking?" Obi-Wan demanded incredulously.

"She programmed Artoo to warn us if there's an intruder,"Anakin told him.

"It's not an intruder I'm worried about. There are many other ways to kill a Senator," Obi-Wan told him.

"I know, but we also want to catch this assassin. Don't we, Master?" Anakin replied.

"You're using her as bait??" Obi-Wan demanded incredulously.

"It was her idea... Don't worry, no harm will come to her. I can sense everything going on in that room. Trust me," Anakin told him in defense.

"It's too risky..." Obi-Wan chastised. "Besides, your senses aren't that attuned, young apprentice," he reminded him.

"And yours are?" Anakin challenged, miffed.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at that challenge. "Possibly," he said.

Luke and Leia silently payed attention to this exchange before Luke turned his attention towards the skyline.

"What is it?" Leia asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," Luke answered.

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Standing on the skyscraper ledge, Zam Wesell loaded the cylinder carrying the deadly kouhuns into a probe droid. She sent the probe droid out into the Coruscant night.

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Obi-Wan watched as Anakin fought to keep his eyes open as he sat on one of the sofas in the room. "You look tired," he observed.

"I don't sleep well anymore," Anakin finally admitted.

"Because of those dreams of your mother?" Obi-Wan asked knowingly.

Anakin nodded. "I don't know why I keep dreaming about her now. I haven't seen her since I was little," he told him.

"Dreams pass in time," Obi-Wan told him assuringly.

"I'd rather dream of Padmè. Just being around her again is... intoxicating," Anakin told him moving towards a window.

Obi-Wan eyed him closely. "Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin, they betray you. You've made a commitment to the Jedi Order... a commitment not easily broken... and don't forget she's a politician. They're not to be trusted," he warned.

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As this conversation occurs, in the bedroom where Padmè is sleeping, a probe droid approached outside her window. It sent out several small arms that attach to the window, creating sparks that shut down the security system. Then a large arm cuts a small hole in the glass. A faint sound was heard as the small section of glass was removed from the window.

Artoo woke up, and his lights go on. The probe droid froze. Artoo looked around, made a plaintive little sound, then shut down again. The probe droid attached a little tube to the window. Two deadly looking centipede like kouhuns exited the tube, crawled through the blinds and headed toward the sleeping Padmè.

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"She's not like the others in the Senate, Master," Anakin said in defense of Padmè.

"It's been my experience that Senators are only focused on pleasing those who fund their campaigns... and they are more than willing to forget the niceties of democracy to get those funds," Obi-Wan told him.

Leia was about to say something to that, somewhat offended, but Luke caught her arm, shaking his head.

"Not another lecture, Master. Not on the economics of politics..." Anakin said, having enough of the lectures. "...and besides, you're generalizing. The Chancellor doesn't appear to be corrupt," he added.

Again Leia was about to open her mouth, but Luke covered it with his hand.

"Palpatine's a politician," Obi-Wan reminded his padawan. "I've observed that he is very clever at following the passions and prejudices of the Senators."

Leia shrugged Luke away before speaking up. "And he is the most corrupt of them all," she blurted out.

Anakin turned to her sharply. "I've know the Chancellor for a long time, I'm not sure where you get your information but you are mistaken," he told her, reining in his indignation at such a proclamation.

"And you're delusional," Leia countered. "And gullible if you even believe that Palpatine is a good man," she added.

Anakin was about to make a retort when he sensed something and turned sharply towards the bedroom where Padmè was sleeping.

"I sense it too," Obi-Wan told him and the two ran to the bedroom and burst into the room with Luke and Leia behind them. The kouhuns stood on their hind legs and hissed as Padmè woke up. Anakin jumped on the bed and threw himself in front of her, whacking in half the deadly creatures with his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan saw the probe droid outside the window and raced straight at it, crashing through the blinds as he went through the window and flung himself at the probe droid, grabbing onto the deadly machine before it can flee. The probe droid sunk under the weight of Obi-Wan but managed to stay afloat and fly away, with the Jedi hanging on for dear life, a hundred stories above the city.

Anakin, Padmè, Luke and Leia stared at the sight of Obi-Wan being carried off by the droid. Anakin turned to Padmè and she pulled her nightdress around her shoulders.

"Stay here!" Anakin ordered, getting up and dashing out of the room, pushing past Luke and Leia before pushing past Captain Typho, two guards and Dormè who all enter the room.

Dormè approached the bed. "Are you all right, Milady?" she asked and Padmè nodded.

Luke grabbed Leia's arm. "Com on!" he urged.

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The probe sent several protective electrical shocks across its surface, causing Obi-Wan to almost lose his grip. As they darted in and out of the speeder traffic, Obi-Wan disconnected a wire on the back of the droid. Its power shut off! Obi-Wan and the droid dropped like rocks. Obi-Wan realized the error of his ways and quickly put the wire back, knowing with irritation that Anakin wouldn't have made that mistake and vowed to not say anything about it. The droid's systems lit up again and it took off.

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Anakin charged out of the apartment building and ran to a line of parked speeders. He vaults into an open one and takes off, gunning it fast toward the lines of speeder traffic high above. Luke and Leia following minutes behind him.

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The droid bumped against a wall, hoping to knock the Obi-Wan loose. It moved behind a speeder afterburner to scorch him. It took Obi-Wan wildly between buildings and finally skimmed across a rooftop as Obi-Wan was forced to lift his legs, tenaciously hanging onto the droid. The droid headed for a dirty, beat-up speeder hidden in an alcove of a building about twenty stories up. When the pilot of the speeder, the scruffy assassin, Zam Wessel, saw the droid approaching with Obi-Wan hanging on, she pulled a long blaster rifle out of the speeder and started to fire at the Jedi. Explosions burst all around Obi-Wan. Zam ran to her speeder, jumped in, and took off.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan muttered.

Finally, the droid suffered a direct hit and blew up. Obi-Wan began to fall fifty stories, until a speeder dropped down next to him, and he managed to grab onto the back end of the speeder and haul himself toward the cockpit. Obi-Wan struggled to climb into the passenger seat of the open speeder and sat down next to the driver, Anakin.

"That was wacky! I almost lost you in the traffic," Anakin commented.

"What took you so long?" Obi-Wan demanded.

"Oh, you know, Master, I couldn't find a speeder I really liked, with an open cockpit... and with the right speed capabilities... and then you know I had to get a really gonzo color..." Anakin replied as they zoomed upward in hot pursuit of Zam Wessel as she fired out the open window at them with her blaster.

"If you'd spend as much time working on your saber skills as you do on your wit, young Padawan, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman," Obi-Wan said disdainfully.

"I thought I already did," Anakin replied.

"Only in your mind, my very young apprentice.," Obi-Wan told him. "Careful!! Hey, easy!!"

As this conversation was going on, Anakin deftly moved in and out of the oncoming traffic, across lanes, between buildings, and miraculously through a construction site. Zam Wessel continued to fire at them.

"Sorry, I forgot you don't like flying, Master," Anakin apologized, though he didn't really mean it.

"I don't mind flying... but what you're doing is suicide!" Obi-Wan exclaimed as they barely missed a commuter train.

"Master, you know I've been flying since before I could walk. I'm very good at this," Anakin assured him.

"Just slow down! There! There he goes!" Obi-Wan told him.

Zam Wessel and the Jedi raced through a line of cross traffic made up of giant trucks. The speeders banked sideways as they slid around right-angle turns between buildings. Zam raced into a tram tunnel.

"Wait! Don't go in there! Take it easy..." Obi-Wan yelled, knowing that Anakin was going to follow the assassin.

"Don't worry, Master," Anakin said as he zoomed into the tunnel after Zam. They saw a tram coming at them. They braked, turned around, and raced out, barely ahead of the charging commuter transport.

"You know I don't like it when you do that!" Obi-Wan snapped.

"Sorry, Master. Don't worry, this guy's gonna kill himself any minute now!" Anakin said unrepetitively.

----------------------------------------------------

"That was close," Leia commented as she sat in the passenger seat of the speeder that Luke was driving, after seeing the speeder that bot Obi-Wan and Anakin were in.

"I never once thought of Father pulling crazy stunts," Luke commented.

"You should have heard all the stories from the Clone Wars. They say that he once landed a command ship, that wasn't supposed to land by the way, on the the airways, half of it torn off while it was on fire, once," Leia told him.

"Really?" Luke asked interested. "I should ask him about that," he mused.

"Luke, watch!" Leia said, spotting the speeder that Anakin and Obi-Wan was chasing fly by.

"I caught hints of what he's planning, come on, lets head him off!" Luke said, flying inconspicuously near the speeder.

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Zam Wessel turned into oncoming traffic, deliberately trying to throw the Jedi off. Oncoming speeders swerved, trying to avoid Zam and the Jedi. Zam did a quick, tight loop-over and ended up behind the Jedi. She was now in a much better position to fire at them with her blaster. To avoid being hit by the laser bolts, Anakin slammed on the brakes and moved alongside Zam. She now fired point-blank at Obi-Wan.

"What are you doing? He's gonna blast me!" Obi-Wan yelled incredulously at Anakin.

"Right - this isn't working," Anakin said after a moments thought.

Anakin slid underneath Zam's speeder. They raced along in traffic, one speeder right on top of the other. The assassin skimmed over the rooftops, causing Anakin to drop behind. Anakin went through his gears, zooming around traffic. They raced at high speed across a wide, flat surface of the city planet. A large spacecraft almost collided with them as it attempted to land.

"Watch out for those banners!" Obi-Wan yelled.

They rounded a corner and clip a flag, which got caught on one of the front air scoops.

"That was too close!" Obi-Wan snapped.

"Clear that!" Anakin ordered.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, looking at him.

"Clear the flag! We're losing power! Hurry!" Anakin told him.

Obi-Wan leaned out of the speeder, then crawled out onto the front engine and pulled the flag free of the scoop. The speeder lurched forward with a surge of power.

"Whooooaaa! Don't do that! I don't like it when you do that!" Obi-Wan snapped.

"So sorry, Master," Anakin told him, meaning it this time.

They chased the assassin through a power refinery. Zam shot a power coupler causing voltage, like lightning, to jump across a gap from one coupler to another. Anakin stayed on course, piloting the speeder directly through the arc. Anakin and Obi-Wan's bodies rippled with blue power.

"Anakin! How many times have I told you to stay away from the power couplings! Slow down! Don't go through there!" Obi-Wan shouted but Anakin ignored him.

Huge electrical bolts shot between the buildings as the speeders passed.

"Yiiii, what are you doing?" Obi-Wan demanded incredulously.

"Sorry, Master!" Anakin told him.

"Oh, that was good..." Obi-Wan said sarcastically.

"That was crazy!!!" Anakin told him, clearly enjoying himself.

Zam slid around a corner sideways, blocking an alley, firing point-blank as Anakin approached.

"Ahh, damn," Anakin muttered.

"Stop!!" Obi-Wan yelled.

"No, we can make it," Anakin said confidently.

Anakin barely missed the assassin's speeder as he dived under it, and through a small gap in the building hitting several pipes and going wildly out of control. Anakin struggled to regain control of the speeder, narrowly missing a crane, barely clipping a pair of giant struts. A giant gas ball shot up, causing Anakin to spin and bump a building, stalling the speeder.

"I'm crazy... I'm crazy... I'm crazy," Obi-Wan muttered to himself.

"I got us through that one all right," Anakin assured him.

"No you didn't! We've stalled! And you almost got us killed!" Obi-Wan snapped angrily.

"I think we're still alive," Anakin told him unfazed, and worked to get the speeder started. It raced to life.

"It was stupid!" Obi-Wan chastised him very angrily.

"I could have made it..." Anakin told him sheepishly.

"But you didn't!!! And now we've lost him for good," Obi-Wan told him furiously.

Suddenly, there was an ambush. Laser bolts were everywhere. Explosions surrounded them. They looked up to see Zam Wessel take off.

"No we didn't..." Anakin said, pointing out the obvious.

Out of a cloud of smoke and ball of flames the Jedi tore after Zam. They were smoking. Obi-Wan slapped out the small fire on the dashboard. Zam went up and down, through cross traffic. There was a near miss as a speeder almost hit them. Zam turned down and left between two buildings. Anakin pulled up and to the right

"Where are you going?!... He went down there, the other way," Obi-Wan demanded.

"Master, if we keep this chase going, that creep's gonna end up Deep-fried. Personally, I'd very much like to find out who in the hell he is and who he's working for... This is a shortcut... I think," Anakin explained.

"What do you mean, you "think?"" Obi-Wan demanded sarcastically.

Anakin turned up a side street, zooming up several small passageways, then stopped, hovering about fifty stories up.

"Well, you lost him," Obi-Wan pointed out, crossing his arms.

"I'm deeply sorry, Master," Anakin told him, then looked around front and back. He spotted something. He seemed to start counting to himself as he watched something below approach.

"Well, this is some kind of shortcut. He went completely the other way! Once again, Anakin..." Obi-Wan began the lecture.

"...Excuse me for a moment," Anakin said, interrupting him and jumped out of the speeder.

Obi-Wan moved over to the spot that Anakin was at only seconds ago, leaned over the side, looked down, and saw Zam's speeder about five stories below them cruising past. "I hate it when he does that," he muttered.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"Did he just jump out of a speeder??" Leia asked incredulously, doing a double take.

"Apparently," Luke said as he zoomed after the assassin's speeder, dipping down as he got closer until he was under the speeder a couple stories down.

Leia kept a close eye on the assassin's speeder, catching the moment that Anakin landed, hanging onto the speeder. "I don't know what he's hoping to gain, but he could of killed himself!" she said.

Luke eyed the speeder above him, rising upwards until he was directly below the offending speeder. "Leia, take over," he told her.

Leia looked at him. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm going to help," Luke told her, pulling out a grappling hook from his belt, stood up once Leia took control of the speeder, swung the hook and caught it onto the belly of the assassin's speeder before starting to climb up.

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Anakin was too busy trying to get control of the assassin's speeder and trying to hold on at the same time to even notice the two speeders racing after them. However as he chanced a look down, he noticed a cable attached to the underbelly of the speeder and Luke Lars climbing up the cable. When he got close enough to carry on a conversation, Anakin spoke.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded, just as the assassin dipped the speeder and he had to find another way to hold on.

"What model speeder is this?" Luke asked.

"_Koro-2_ exodrive, why?" Anakin replied.

"I just want to know which part of the engine to disable without getting us killed that's all," Luke answered taking out his lightsaber. "Figure out a way to gain control of this speeder," he called.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Anakin retorted as the assassin jerked the speeder again.

"Hanging on for a joy ride," Luke answered.

"I'd like to see you do any better!" Anakin snapped.

"I _have_ done better," Luke answered and hid his amusement when he heard an annoyed growl in response.

The assassin jerked the speeder again and Anakin managed to get himself on the roof of the speeder in a perfect angle to get inside the cockpit and fight for the controls. Luke saw this and took this as his cue to ignite his lightsaber, quickly calculating the layout of the engine before using his lightsaber to disable the speeder. This seemed to distract the assassin, giving Anakin the chance to use his lightsaber to make a hole in the roof of the speeder, large enough for him to reach in and fight for control of the speeder which the assassin fought off while trying to stay in control of the speeder with the assassin knocking his lightsaber out of his grasp and it flung off into the air, but it was no use as the speeder began to give out some and to loose altitude. As the assassin tried to shoot him with her blaster, Anakin grabbed the blaster and turned it on her, hitting her in the hand, thus giving him an opportunity to gain control of the speeder, resorting to some well crafted techniques he used to avoid a crash while pod racing, directing the speeder down to the pavement, several thousand stories below, safely. Luke jumping down before they could reach the pavement and following Luke, the assassin, jumped out of the speeder just before it hit the pavement and took off at a run. Seeing this, Anakin, quickly abandoned the speeder and gave chase, barely noticing Luke doing the same, keeping up with him.

"Just how many speeders have you disabled?" Anakin demanded.

"None, but I have a knack for disabling Imperial AT-AT walkers..."

"AT-AT?" Anakin questioned.

"I'll explain later," Luke quickly said. "That was one way that I disabled the AT-ATs, only I aimed for the parts that caused the most damage and for good measure I threw in a detonator," he said.

"Nice," Anakin commented.

"Needless to say, the Emperor hated me. In fact I was on the Empire's most wanted list," Luke commented.

"And you're proud of that?"

"It was a huge complement," Luke told him. "The Empire was evil and Me and Leia were the biggest enemies of the Empire," he said, the last part holding a bit of pride.

"What made you top on the list?" Anakin asked.

"Well, Leia stole the plans to the Death Star..."

"Death Star?" Anakin questioned.

"A huge super space station the size of a small moon that had enough fire power to destroy planets," Luke quickly explained.

"Your kidding," Anakin said disbelievingly.

"Wish I were. Leia was forced to watch it blow Alderaan up to pieces while she was held prisoner," Luke told him.

"That's barbaric," Anakin told him.

"I helped Leia escape the Death Star and together we brought the plans to the Alliance where a weakness was exposed. A small exhaust port that lead directly to the reactor shaft, add proton torpedoes and you get the picture," Luke told him.

"Blew the whole thing up to dust didn't it," Anakin deducted.

"And I was the one who made the shot making me enemy number one," Luke told him.

"What were the odds against you?" Anakin asked.

"Darth Vader was on my tail the entire time, ready to take me out. He had taken out everyone else equipped with proton torpedoes and since I've been pulling moves like that in Beggers Canyon since I was six, I was the Alliance's best option," Luke told him.

"Darth Vader?" Anakin questioned. "Who's he?"

Luke dodged that question by nodding to the assassin that they were chasing. "How long do you think he'll keep running?" he asked.

"I think he is a she and I think she's a changeling," Anakin told him. "She should get tired of running pretty soon and try to hide," he said.

"Like that club up ahead?" Luke asked and on cue the assassin dodged inside. As Anakin and Luke made it to the entrance of the club, they were met by both Obi-Wan and Leia.

"She went into the club, Master," Anakin told them, pointing at the club's entrance.

"Stop jumping out of speeders several thousand stories up in the air," Obi-Wan ordered.

"Sorry, Master," Anakin said, but his tone said anything but.

"Here. Next time try not to lose it" Obi-Wan told him, holding out his lightsaber. Anakin reached for the lightsaber but Obi-Wan held it firmly away. "A Jedi's saber is his most precious possession..."

"Yes, Master," Anakin said.

"He must keep it with him at all times," Obi-Wan continued.

"I know, Master," Anakin told him, a little annoyed.

"This weapon is your life," Obi-Wan continued.

"I've heard this lesson before..." Anakin told him tiredly and a little annoyed.

Obi-Wan finally held out the lightsaber and Anakin grabbed it.

"But, you haven't learned anything, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him tiredly as he released his hold on Anakin's lightsaber.

"I try, Master," Anakin told him.

Obi-Wan walked ahead through the club entrance. Anakin, Luke and Leia followed him. "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?!" he said tiredly.

Luke and Leia looked at each other, each thinking that Obi-Wan didn't know just how true this would end up being.

"Don't say that Master... You're the closest thing I have to a father... I don't want to cause you pain," Anakin told him, a little uncomfortable with that notion.

"Then why don't you listen to me?!" Obi-Wan demanded.

"I am trying, Master," Anakin told him.

"There is no try. Do or do not," Luke commented making both Obi-Wan and Anakin turn to him. Anakin gave him a look of annoyance while Obi-Wan looked relieved.

"Well, at least someone here follows that," Obi-Wan commented.

"I've learned not to ignore the lessons that Master Yoda had taught me," Luke answered.

Obi-Wan turned to Anakin. "You can learn from his example," he said, pointing to Luke who hid his amusement behind a serene mask at the annoyed look on Anakin's face.

"I'd rather not, Master," Anakin said evenly.

At that answer, Obi-Wan just rolled his eyes and continued into the club. "Can you see him?" he asked.

"He is a she and she is a changeling," Anakin answered.

"In that case be extra careful" Obi-Wan told them and nodded to the room, "Go and find her." he ordered before he left them.

"Where are you going, Master?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan turned to him slightly. "For a drink," he said simply and walked towards the bar.

Anakin looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"Leia, I think that we should use that method that we used during the first stages of our hunt for Boba Fett," Luke said, turning to his sister.

"Did you get a good look at her?" Leia asked.

"Yeah, close your eyes, I want to try something new," Luke instructed.

"What is it, Farmboy?" Leia asked suspiciously.

"You know how we could hear each other's thoughts if we project them," Luke began.

"You're going to try a visual version of that?" Leia asked.

Luke shrugged. "It's worth a try," he said.

"Alright, I trust you enough to trust that you know what you're doing," Leia agreed and closed her eyes.

Anakin looked at them quizzically as Luke closed his eyes too, a moment later, Leia's eyes snapped open.

"Amazing," she commented. " Alright, I'll take the right side of the room," she said taking command.

"I'll keep watch around the bar," Luke decided.

"I think that that is what Obi-Wan is doing," Anakin pointed out.

"The bar, meaning the middle spier of the room. Two perspectives there could help matters," Luke pointed out.

"Which leaves the left side to me," Anakin deducted.

"This assassin will most likely try to get rid of anyone who saw her before she leaves the club," Leia commented and both she and Luke looked at Anakin.

"Don't look at me like that," Anakin ordered, moving off into the left side of the room. Luke and Leia raised their eyebrows at each other before taking their posts.

Luke took his post, by sitting down next to Obi-Wan ordering a jawa juice. "Figured that two perceptions in this room might help some," he said quietly.

"I see," Obi-Wan commented. "How long did you study under Master Yoda?" he asked.

"He was my second master before he too died. I didn't stay with him long but everything that he taught me, I take with me everyday," Luke answered. "He didn't want to train me at first, deeming that I was too old, he also feared that I had too much of my father in me," Luke told him.

"What changed his mind?" Obi-Wan asked.

"You did. You forced him to see reason," Luke answered.

"That would make that the second time that I would do such a thing. I must have really liked you to do that," Obi-Wan told him.

Luke looked at him. "You watched me grow up on Tatooine, possibly to guard me from the Empire," he told him.

"Why was that?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Because of who my father is," Luke answered.

"And who was your father?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Is it that important that you know right now?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan looked at him. "You would get better results if you just were up front with these things," he advised.

"It's too dangerous," Luke told him. "If the Sith knew who I am then... the Emperor tried to kill me because of who I am. Besides, I enjoy doing things the hard way, it offers me a chance to learn."

"That is a rather backwards perspective," Obi-Wan commented.

"I learn all my lessons the first time around," Luke told him. "Not doing so could cause me to make a fatal error in judgment," he added.

Their conversation, however, was interrupted by an alien sitting beside Obi-Wan who spoke up. "Hey, do you want to buy some death sticks?" he asked.

Obi-Wan made a slight hand movement. "You don't want to sell me death sticks," he said.

"Ah, I don't want to sell you death sticks," the alien said in a slightly confused voice.

"You want to go home and rethink your life," Obi-Wan told him.

"I want to go home and rethink my life," the alien said, getting up from the bar and walking out of the club in a sort of daze.

Luke hid his amused smile as he took a sip of his jawa juice, acting casually. "What are the odds that when the mind trick wears off that he'll be right back here selling death sticks?" he asked.

"It's even odds, depending on how he rethought his life," Obi-Wan answered just as his danger senses kicked in. As if in in sync, both Luke and Obi-Wan pulled out their lightsabers, Obi-Wan disarming the assassin by taking off her hand holding a blaster and Luke holding the blade of his lightsaber at her throat. This action caused the whole club to freeze while both Anakin and Leia approached them.

"Jedi business, go back to your drinks," Anakin ordered. This seemed to be enough for the room to go back to what they were doing. Both Obi-Wan and Luke pulled the assassin up and out of the club with Leia and Anakin flanking them. They moved off into an ally where Obi-Wan began his questioning. "Do you know who it was you were trying to kill?" he asked.

"The Senator from Naboo" the assassin answered showing little remorse.

"Who hired you?" Obi-Wan asked.

The assassin glared at him. "It was just a job," she told him snidely.

"Who hired you? Tell us," Anakin urged, trying to be gentle in his line of questioning.

The assassin glared up at him hatefully. "That Senator's gonna die soon anyway, and the next one won't make the same mistake I did..." she told him.

"This wound's going to need treatment," Obi-Wan commented but no one paid attention because the assassin's comment made Anakin loose both his patience and his temper.

"Tell us now!" Anakin ordered hotly and just enough to make him sound threatening.

The assassin glared hatefully. "It was a Bounty Hunter called..." but she didn't finish because something flew and hit her in the neck, forcing her to revert of her clawdite form and anything that came out of her mouth was in her native tongue just before she died.

There was a loud whoosh from above making Luke and Leia turn sharply. "Just what we need, Fett," Leia ground out bitterly.

"I don't think that's Boba Fett," Luke commented. "Boba's too young, that was..."

"Jango Fett who passed all of his skills down to Boba," Leia informed him, the word 'skills' leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Yeah, we're going to be facing one annoying challenge," Luke commented.

"Toxic dart..." Obi-Wan told them, pulling the dart from the assassin's neck.

"And those markings indicate Kamino," Leia informed them.

"Kamino?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"They're outside the Republic. They have the most advanced cloning facility in the galaxy. In fact that is where the entire army for the Empire comes from," Leia informed them. "Their morality depends on how big your pocketbook is," she added.

"That seems like a logical deduction considering that they are in league with the Sith," Anakin commented.

"Their alliance started with the Republic," Leia corrected him.

"The Clone Wars, they made up the Republic's army. The Order commanded them throughout the Clone Wars before Order Sixty-Six was activated making the clone army, which greatly outnumbered the order, to turn on the Jedi, killing every Jedi within the area and since the Order was spread across the galaxy fighting the CIS at that moment, it was an easy slaughter," Luke informed them. "Darth Vader lead the siege on the temple, killing every Jedi inside, even the younglings," he added.

"Who the hell is this Darth Vader?" Anakin demanded.

Luke looked at Leia who looked down. "He came out of nowhere. No one ever saw his face, there was speculation on whether he really was a complete cyborg or just half of one, the latter making more sense since he was a Sith," she told them, evading the real answer.

"Vader died over Endor the moment that the Emperor died," Luke told them.

"I think that we need to put all of our efforts into finding the Sith and destroying them," Anakin said looking at Obi-Wan.

"The council has been working on that since Qui-Gon died, Anakin. We have zero leads," Obi-Wan told him.

"One of them is here on Coruscant," Leia informed them.

"And the other?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I don't know," Leia admitted.

"Do you know who they are?" Obi-Wan asked.

"We...we can't tell you," Leia admitted.

"Why not?" Anakin demanded.

"There's too much riding on it for the moment," Luke answered.

This answer neither pleased Anakin nor did it please Obi-Wan.


	11. Leaving for Naboo

**A/N:**_ Please consult my profile before asking for an update in your review.  
_

* * *

Luke and Leia stood with Obi-Wan and Anakin in the middle of the council chamber with the twelve Jedi masters watching them from their seats circling them. Neither twin were accustomed to being eyed critically, both knowing that the Jedi could see right through them, so they kept their guards up, shielding their minds as they were used to doing. Luke could feel the Jedi's suspicion but hid himself behind a serene mask, Leia keeping her stoic expression on her face as well.

"Track down this bounty hunter, you must, Obi-Wan," Master Yoda said, addressing Obi-Wan.

"Most importantly, find out who he's working for," Mace put in.

"What about Senator Amidala? She will still need protecting," Obi-Wan asked.

"Handle that, your Padawan will," Master Yoda decided.

Mace looked at Anakin. "Anakin, escort the Senator back to her home planet of Naboo. She'll be safer there. And don't use registered transport. Travel as refugees," he instructed.

"As the leader of the opposition, it will be very difficult to get Senator Amidala to leave the Capital," Anakin pointed out diplomatically.

"Until caught this killer is, our judgment she must respect," Master Yoda told him.

"Anakin, go to the Senate and ask Chancellor Palpatine to speak with her," Mace said, looking at Anakin.

Luke and Leia inauspiciously threw each other alarmed looks at hearing this.

_Do they really think that's wise??!!_

_The council doesn't know, Leia. Master Yoda hasn't told them._

Both twins turned away from each other, resuming their appearance of stoicism

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied.

"You are dismissed," Mace told them.

Luke and Leia followed Obi-Wan and Anakin's lead and bowed to the council before leaving.

"Go talk to the chancellor, I'll check out Kamino in the archives," Obi-Wan instructed his padawan.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied.

"You two, come with me," Obi-Wan said, looking at Luke and Leia who looked at each other.

"Why?" Leia asked.

"Because you seem to have knowledge of this planet," Obi-Wan answered, frowning at being questioned.

"I'll go see the Chancellor now so that he can speak to Senator Amidala before she leaves her office," Anakin told them.

"How do you know she's in her office right now?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin shrugged. "She is at the Senate Rotunda, Master, and the Senate isn't currently in session, it is a logical hypothesis," he replied.

Obi-Wan waved a hand. "Very well, go. The sooner we have her off planet the better," he told him.

"Of course, Master," Anakin replied, tearing off in a different direction.

Obi-Wan turned to Luke and Leia. "Now, you both will tell me everything that you know about Kamino," he instructed, and saw them look at each other silently, getting the distinct impression that he was missing something.

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Chancellor Palpatine stood by the wall sized window in his office, staring at the cityscape, knowing that soon, he would have direct control. All of his plans were coming into play, he just had to maneuver every pawn into their correct places. And speaking of pawns, he received word of his greatest one coming to see him on official business, so he gave the go ahead to see him in.

"Chancellor?"

Palpatine turned and gave a pleasant smile. "Ah, Anakin, come in," he said pleasantly.

"I wish that this was a pleasure visit, your Excellency," Anakin told him, coming further into the room.

"Come, tell me what brings you here," Palpatine instructed, not moving away from the window.

Anakin joined him by the window. "As you are probably aware, there are a series of attempts on Senator Amidala's life," he told him.

"Yes, I am aware," Palpatine told him.

"The council has assigned me to protect her while Master Obi-Wan investigates," Anakin informed him. "It is their belief, and mine, that Coruscant is no longer safe for Senator Amidala as the attempts have been made here. The council has instructed that I escort her to Naboo but there is one thing standing in the way," Anakin told him.

"She is the leading member for the opposition against the Military Creation Act and I am not sure how long I can hold off the vote," Palpatine told him.

"Which places her in danger, your Excellency, but if we can find this assassin before the vote has taken place, it may placate her," Anakin suggested. "But I'm not sure if that is enough to convince her to leave Coruscant," he added.

"I will talk to her. Senator Amidala will not refuse an executive order. I know her well enough to assure you of that," Palpatine assured him.

"Thank you, your Excellency," Anakin said relieved.

"And so, my young Padawan, they have finally given you an assignment. Your patience has paid off," Palpatine said, offering a congratulatory smile.

"Your guidance more that my patience," Anakin told him diplomatically.

"You don't need guidance, Anakin. In time you will learn to trust your feelings. Then you will be invincible. I have said it many times, you are the most gifted Jedi I have ever met," Palpatine told him as they turned away from the window and walked towards the door.

"Thank you, your Excellency," Anakin said.

"I see you becoming the greatest of all the Jedi, Anakin. Even more powerful than Master Yoda," Palpatine told him.

"Thank you for your assistance, Excellency. Hopefully this threat will be over soon," Anakin told him.

"That is my hope as well," Palpatine assured him.

Anakin bowed before leaving. Palpatine watched him go, a feral smile crossing his features. Everything was going according to plan.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luke and Leia sat in the archives with Obi-Wan, neither saying a word. They just watched him attempt to pull up the details of Kamino and frowning. Luke looked at Leia and heard her though process. _He said not to say anything._

_But shouldn't we say something? We're here for a reason, not to keep quiet about __**everything**__._ Luke pointed out.

_But how do we know what to say exactly without causing severe damage? _Leia rose an eyebrow as she pointed this out.

_Hold on._ Luke told her and closed his eyes, searching through the force. _Father?_

_What?_ Came the instant reply.

_Where are you?_

_Hyperspace_. His tone held an annoyed and sarcastic note in it. _Where else would I be at the moment?_

_I thought that you got there by now._

_Do you not know just how far Tatooine is from Coruscant?_

_I never traveled that path._ Luke pointed out.

_Tatooine is in the outer rim while Coruscant is in the core, **think** about it._ His father pointed out, his tone still sarcastic.

Luke rolled his eyes.

_I know that you just rolled your eyes._ This time his tone was sharp. _What is the true reason for this conversation?_

_Obi-Wan is pressing us about Kamino._ Luke informed him.

_Yes, I know. You didn't keep your mouth shut which naturally brought about an interrogation._ His father pointed out.

_What do we tell him?_ Luke asked.

_Tell him what you know and that the reason why he can't find Kamino in the archives is because it had been erased from the Temple Archives ten years prior, and that he will need to be alone when he investigates._ His father instructed.

_Right._ Luke closed off the communication and looked at Obi-Wan. "You won't find Kamino in the archives," he said.

Obi-Wan looked at him. "Why is that?" he asked.

"My...master just informed me that it had been erased from the Temple Archives ten years ago," Luke answered.

"Excuse me? He just _now_ informed you?" Obi-Wan questioned.

Luke nodded. "We can speak to each other through the force," he told him. "Can't you do the same?" he asked.

"No...that ability is unusual," Obi-Wan told him. "What else did he say?" he asked.

"Just to tell you what we know and that you will need to investigate alone," Luke answered.

"I see," Obi-Wan said. "And where is this Kamino?" he asked.

"It's the fifth planet of thirteen that orbit a star south of the Rishi Maze," Leia told him.

"Is there anything else?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Nothing else that is relevant to this time," Leia told him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Anakin stood by the window in the Anteroom to Senator Amidala's bedroom, his eyes never leaving her as she spoke to Jar Jar. He would have preferred to be alone with her but his master thought it was a _good_ idea for Luke Lars and Leia Solo to join him. The two in question sat down on a bench behind him in silence but Anakin got hints within the force that they were speaking to each other through it. Something he _knew_ that Jedi typically didn't do, only those from his mother's home world could do so, which raised even more questions in his mind but Anakin pressed those questions to the back of his mind and instead focused on Senator Amidala. Every one of his senses keyed into her, his eyes drank in every one of her features, her soothing presence permeated his senses, acting like a balm to his soul. Even her voice sounded like the most melodic music to his ears. Just being around her was intoxicating and he never felt anything so powerful before, he wasn't even sure what it was yet. Writing to her for the past ten years, while filling him with joy with every response, it didn't have this profound effect on him.

"I'm taking an extended leave of absence. It will be your responsibility to take my place in the Senate. Representative Binks, I know I can count on you," Padmè instructed Jar Jar.

"Mesa honored to be taken on dissa heavy burden. Mesa accept this with muy muy humility and da..." Jar Jar said pompously.

"Jar Jar. I don't wish to hold you up. I'm sure you have a great deal to do," Padmè said, interrupting him.

"Of course, Milady," Jar Jar replied and bowed before leaving.

Padmè briskly walked into the anteroom before going into her bedroom. "I do not like this idea of hiding," she briskly said as she passed Anakin.

"Don't worry, now that the Council has ordered an investigation, it won't take Master Obi-Wan long to find this bounty hunter," Anakin assured her as he followed her, Luke and Leia paying attention to their interaction.

"I haven't worked for a year to defeat the Military Creation Act not to be here when its fate is decided!" Padmè told him frustrated.

"Sometimes we have to let go of our pride and do what is requested of us," Anakin told her.

"Pride?!? Ani, you're young, and you don't have a very firm grip on politics. I suggest you reserve your opinions for some other time," Padmè replied.

Anakin frowned at her dismissal and oversight where his understanding was concerned. "Sorry, Milady. I was only trying to..." he didn't get to finish what he was about to say.

"Ani! No! Don't..." Padmè was about to tell him not to apologize but he interrupted her.

"Please don't call me that," He requested.

"What?" Padmè asked confused.

"Ani..." Anakin clarified.

"I've always called you that... it is your name, isn't it?" Padmè replied.

"It's Anakin. When you say Ani it's like I'm still a little boy... and I'm not," Anakin pointed out.

"I'm sorry, Anakin. It's impossible to deny you've.." Padmè looked him over, "...that you've grown up," she said and offered him a smile.

Anakin looked away, the way she just looked at him having a strange effect on him. "Master Obi-Wan manages not to see it..." he said.

"Mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like. It's the only way we grow," Padmè told him as she assisted Dormè in packing.

"Don't get me wrong... Obi-Wan is a great mentor, as wise as Master Yoda and as powerful as Master Windu. I am truly thankful to be his apprentice. Only... although I'm a Padawan learner, in some ways... a lot of ways... I'm ahead of him. I'm ready for the trials. I know I am! He knows it too. But he feels I'm too unpredictable... Other Jedi my age have gone through the trials and made it... I know I started my training late... but he won't let me move on," Anakin told her, using the force to play with a glass orb by the window.

"That must be frustrating," Padmè said, placing another garment in a suitcase.

Anakin set the orb down and turned to her. "It's worse... he's overly critical! He never listens! He just doesn't understand. It's not fair!" Even to his own ears, it sounded childish and felt her suppressing a laugh and turned away from her.

"I'm sorry... You sounded exactly like that little boy I once knew, when he didn't get his way," Padmè apologized.

Anakin frowned. "I'm not whining!" he told her and frowned when Dormè laughed in the background.

"I didn't say it to hurt you," Padmè told him.

Anakin sat down on the bed, knowing that he just made a fool of himself. "I know..." he sighed.

There was silence before Padmè walked over to him. "Anakin..." she started, he looked up to meet her eyes and she was startled when she felt something in the air, something unfamiliar. "Don't try to grow up too fast," she told him, managing to keep her voice from faltering.

Anakin stood up, holding her eyes with his own. "I am grown up. You said it yourself," he reminded her, looking in her eyes deeper, knowing that she was feeling it too.

"Please don't look at me like that," Padmè ordered, feeling uncomfortable under his stare.

"Why not?" Anakin asked, his voice having become deeper.

"Because I can see what you're thinking," Padmè told him.

Anakin laughed. "Ahh... So, you have Jedi powers too?" he said.

"It makes me feel uncomfortable," Padmè told him, walking away.

Anakin watched her, his eyes roaming over he body, taking note in the way that she moved. "Sorry, Milady," he said, although he really wasn't.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luke picked at the outland peasant garb he was wearing, almost matching Anakin. Beside him, Leia sat, wearing a simple dress with a simple pattern, braiding her hair and coiling it on top of her head. Next to Anakin sat Obi-Wan who sat across from Padmè, Dormè, and Captain Typho. Luke was still unaccustomed to Coruscant and hoped that Naboo was a stark contrast. He watched as Leia put the finishing touches in her hair, after braiding some fabric with an attached veil into her braid, and pinned her hair in place. "Are you done yet?" he asked.

"Yes," Leia answered.

"I've seen Queen Breha of Alderaan wear her hair like that," Dormè said, looking at Leia.

Leia looked away and into the passing traffic, holding in her sadness at that reference.

"Have I said something wrong?" Dormè asked concerned.

"Alderaan is a very painful subject for Leia," Luke explained, taking his sister's hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright, you didn't know," Leia told her.

Padmè watched Luke and Leia, knowing that there was something important about them but she couldn't put her finger on it. "Perhaps a change in scenery would do us all some good," She said.

The bus docked in a freighter spaceport and the hatch opened. Everyone stood and collected their bags.

"Be safe, Milady," Captain Typho said, standing with Padmè.

"Thank you, Captain. Take good care of Dormè... The threat's on you two now," Padmè replied.

"He'll be safe with me," Dormè assured her with a smile. She and Padmè laughed and embraced. As they broke away, Dormè looked down, about to weep.

"You'll be fine," Padmè told her comfortingly.

"It's not me, Milady. I worry about you. What if they realize you've left the Capital?" Dormè told her.

Padmè looked over at Anakin briefly. "Then my Jedi protector will have to prove how good he is," she told her. She and Dome smiled at one another as Padmè began to depart with Luke and Leia in the lead.

Obi-Wan pulled Anakin aside and Anakin frowned. "Anakin. Don't do anything without first consulting either myself or the Council," he instructed, knowing that there was a chance of his padawan doing the opposite.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied.

Obi-Wan looked over at Padmè. "I will get to the bottom of this plot quickly, Milady. You'll be back here in no time," he assured her.

"I will be most grateful for your speed, Master Jedi," Padmè told him.

Anakin spotted the freighter boarding it's passengers. "Time to go," he said.

"I know," Padmè replied as Captain Typho handed each of them their boarding passes and false identification.

Padmè gave Dormè one last hug as Luke nodded to Leia to move on.

"Anakin, Luke, Leia, may the Force be with you," Obi-Wan said.

"May the Force be with you, Master," Anakin told him while Luke gave him a solute and Leia nodded. They then started towards the starfreighter.

"Suddenly, I'm afraid..." Padmè said to Anakin.

"This is my first assignment on my own, without Obi-Wan. I am too," Anakin nodded to where Artoo was trailing behind them. "But don't worry. We've got Artoo with us," he joked and he and Padmè laughed together, both remembering how resourceful the droid had been during the blockade.

Luke and Leia rose their eyebrows at each other, getting that it was an inside joke that they weren't privy to, but guessed what it was about, knowing the droid very well.

Obi-Wan and Captain Typho watched as they boarded the freighter. "I hope he doesn't try anything foolish," Obi-Wan muttered.

"I'd be more concerned about her doing something, than him," Captain Typho told him.

"No, you don't need to remind me, I remember well what she is capable of. The problem is that he would need little encouragement to do something foolish," Obi-Wan told him, turning away.

----------------------------------------------------------------

No sooner had they found their cabin, Luke, Leia, Anakin, and Padmè began to settle in. Luke and Leia designated which bunks they would be taking, placing their cases by them. Padmè removed her headdress and set down on a shelf while Anakin tucked his case by another bunk.

"How long will it take to get to Naboo?" Luke asked.

"A week, We're traveling to the other side of the galaxy, just before the outer rim," Anakin told him, settling down on one of the lower bunks, getting comfortable.

"Artoo, why don't you find us something to eat," Padmè instructed the droid which only beeped in response before following the request. She turned to Anakin, a thought on her mind. "Anakin..." she started but got no response. She walked over to find him asleep. The countless sleepless nights having finally taken a toll on him. Remembering the first time he traveled through space, she took a blanket and covered him, knowing that he found space to be too cold for his tastes. She turned to see Luke and Leia watching. "I remember the first time he traveled through space. He wasn't used to the temperature, too used to the heat of Tatooine, that he was literally shivering," she told them.

"How long have you known each other?" Leia asked.

"Ten years. We met on Tatooine. I was fourteen and Queen, he was nine, a slave to a junk dealer," Padmè answered. She laughed at the memory. "He asked me if I were an angel, I laughed, but then I learned that he was a slave. I was shocked to learn that slavery still existed in the galaxy," she told them and took a seat.

"What brought you to Tatooine? It's not exactly a vacation spot for royalty," Luke asked.

"The Trade Federation put up a blockade around Naboo. Obi-Wan and his master, Qui-Gon, came to investigate, but when they arrived in Theed, We were already taken captive because I refused to give into the Trade Federation's demands. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon freed me, my handmaidens and enough of the Royal Navel crew to get us safely off of Naboo to plead for help from the Senate. Only our ship was damaged getting through the blockade and we had to land on Tatooine. I went with Qui-Gon and Jar Jar into Mos Espa to buy parts for the ship, but the junk dealer refused to accept Republican credits. While Qui-Gon tried to haggle with the junk dealer, I staying in the shop and talked to Anakin," Padmè explained.

"How did you manage to get the parts for this ship if you couldn't use the credits?" Leia asked.

"We were about to go back to the ship, unaware of the sandstorm brewing, Jar Jar, being clumsy and innocent, managed to offend a dug. Just as Jar Jar was about to be harmed, Anakin came out of no where and said something to the dug to get his attention off of Jar Jar and to eventually leave us alone. Anakin offered us shelter with him and his mother during the sand storm. We discussed our situation when Anakin offered us a solution to our money problems. You see, a pod race was coming up and he used to participate in them. He was certain that he would win and told us that we could use his winnings to buy the parts we needed. His mother was against the idea but eventually caved. Anakin won that race in the pod he had built and gave us his winnings, in return, Qui-Gon had freed him and he left Tatooine with us," Padmè answered.

Luke and Leia looked at one another, each finding this conversation to be very informative.

"Anakin was born into slavery, he knew nothing but cruelty and hardship. One would believe that someone in that position wouldn't think of helping others without thinking about a reward. Anakin didn't ask for anything in return. He only want to help us. It changed my outlook on many things," Padmè said. "He's always been selfless and good natured. I consider myself lucky to know him." she turned as Artoo returned with some food. "Thank you, Artoo," she said, standing and taking a bowl of soup that the droid was carrying on a tray.

Luke and Leia silently took some food off of the tray and looked over at Anakin, neither understanding why he would become the monster that they grew up knowing.


	12. En Rout to Naboo

**A/N:**_ Please consult my profile before asking for an update in your review. Most of this chapter is due to a bout of insominia which is why I was able to get it up so soon after the last chapter...don't expect something like this again for a long time.  
_

* * *

Padmè looked over at Anakin who absent mindedly used to force to manipulate objects in the air. She walked over and sat down next to him. "You seem preoccupied," she observed.

"I'm worried about Obi-Wan," Anakin admitted.

Padmè nodded in understand, noticing Luke and Leia slightly paying attention to them during their own game of dejarik. "It's the anniversary of Qui-Gon's death," she said softly.

"Usually during this time of the year, Obi-Wan has me around to keep his mind too occupied to think about it. But this year, right now, he's in hypserspace, attempting to meditate while trying in vain to not think about how he failed to save Qui-Gon from Darth Maul. He counts on me to keep his mind occupied," Anakin told her.

Padmè took his hand in hers. "I know how much Qui-Gon meant to you both, Anakin. You're trying not think about too. I struggle with it myself sometimes," she told him.

"It was senseless," Anakin told her. "There was no reason for it. He shouldn't have died."

"I sometimes blame myself," Padmè admitted, leaning her head on his shoulder. "He died defending my people and they were my responsibility."

"It wasn't your fault, Padmè. Qui-Gon did his duty as a Jedi. If it weren't for him, we may not have considered that the Sith were still active," Anakin told her. He smiled in spite of himself. "Remember when we were at my mother's waiting out the sandstorm?" he asked.

"Yes," Padmè answered.

"I remember how I declared that no one could kill a Jedi, I was so certain of it, I whole heartedly believed it," he told her.

"I remember," Padmè told him.

"Even when Qui-Gon corrected me, I didn't believe him...until he died," Anakin told her. "I remember feeling lost, I didn't know what would happen to me without him. Part of me thought that I would be sent back to Watto...it scared me," he admitted.

"But Obi-Wan decided to train you, Anakin. He wasn't about to leave you with no one," Padmè told him.

Anakin shrugged. "I know that Qui-Gon made him promise to train me," he told her.

"Did he tell you that?" Padmè asked, looking at him.

"He didn't have to. I just knew," Anakin answered. "But it doesn't matter," he decided. "We're family, no matter how we were brought together."

Padmè smiled. "No matter how you disagree and argue?" she asked.

"Doesn't your family do that?" Anakin asked, looking at her.

"All the time," Padmè confirmed and Anakin chuckled.

"I know why Obi-Wan wont let me take my trials," he told her.

"Why is that?" Padmè asked.

"Because he needs me, he would be lost without me. Don't get me wrong, he's a skilled worrier and quite stable enough to be alone, but he needs me to keep him on his toes, he needs my companionship. That and he could be completely incompetent at times," Anakin told her.

"Incompetent?" Padmè questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, he's always falling into some kind of mess and getting injured. Don't ask me how he manages it, he just does, and he needs me to pull him out of it. Obi-Wan likes to say how there is no such thing as luck, but he just doesn't want to admit that he has the worst luck," Anakin told her.

Padmè chuckled. "Are you sure that you're not the cause of it?" she asked.

"No, because I'm good luck," Anakin told her and she laughed again with him soon joining her.

"I guess you can say that," Padmè agreed.

There was a lurch within the ship and everyone had to stabilize themselves. "That's the fifteenth time in only half a day cycle! I would like to kick the pilot of the the cockpit and take control because obviously this pilot is incompetent," Anakin said sourly.

"I have no doubt that you could do better," Padmè told him.

"Oh, _now_, you don't doubt my piloting abilities," Anakin said, looking at her.

"Are you on that again?" Padmè asked tiredly.

"_You_ didn't believe that I would win the Boonta Eve Classic," Anakin reminded her.

"In my defense, you hadn't even finished a race before, crashing, destroy perfectly good pods, and somehow surviving to go through it again. I saw how worried your mother was, how she kept praying that you wouldn't die this time around," Padmè told him defensively.

"My mother worried too much. But _she_ knew that I could do it," Anakin replied.

"It is a mother's prerogative to believe in her child, even if it goes against her better judgment," Padmè pointed out.

Anakin leaned away to look her in the eye. "Hey! That was uncalled for," he told her.

"No it wasn't...Ani," Padmè teased and laughed at the annoyed look on his face.

"Okay, you will be paying for that," Anakin told her decisively.

"Oh, I'm terrified," Padmè mocked.

"You should be, I'm capable of many things," Anakin told her darkly.

"Oh? Like?" Padmè questioned.

Anakin reached behind him and grabbed a pillow. "Like this!" he said and began to pummel her with it unrelentingly.

Padmè threw her arms and hands up, laughing, under his assault and managed the grab the pillow, fighting him for control. This struggle lasted for two minutes with Padmè yanking the pillow from his grasp with such a force that she fell backwards with him falling on top of her and their laughter stopped under the close proximity, Anakin moving to get up almost instantaneously.

"I'm going to see what's in the galley," Anakin decided awkwardly, leaving the cabin.

Luke and Leia rose their eyebrows as he left, each knowing that staying out of the way was a minimal task now.

----------------------------------------------------------

The ship lurched once again as Anakin was entering the cabin with a tray of food in his hands. The ferocity of the lurch sending him crashing sideways against the door frame, the tray dropping from his grasp, the dishes clattered by his feet and food spilling all over his boots. Anakin swore a vial oath in huttese, very annoyed. "That's it! I'm going to the cockpit!" he snapped, turning around.

"Anakin! No! We're supposed to be blending in!" Padmè snapped, rushing to grab his arm and to pull him back into the cabin.

Anakin shrugged out of her grasp. "That peedunky pilot has fodder for brains! Whoever he is, has absolutely no skill in anything but knocking people down and getting them space sick!" he snapped.

Padmè placed her fists on her hips and stared him down. "Go on then, but you can explain to the council how you blew our cover," she said.

Anakin frowned, knowing that she was right, and that frustrated him. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that pirates were attacking us which I am certain has people scared," he told her pointedly.

"Well there is nothing that we can do about it," Padmè told him.

"I am so happy that my mother isn't here," he said walking over to the window. "She would be terrified at every lurch."

"Why is that?" Luke asked.

Anakin looked at him, wondering if he out to disclose his family history with him, he was a stranger and was hiding something, but he felt some sort of kinship with him for some odd reason. It was confusing. "When my mother was about nine, her parents decided to take a trip to explore the galaxy. The ship they were traveling on was attacked by pirates. My family was split up and soled into slavery," he told him, turning back to the window.

Padmè walked over to him and placed a hand on his arm. "You'll keep your promise to her, Anakin, I have faith in you," she told him.

"Patience has never been my strong point. As Obi-Wan refuses to let me take my trials, I am in no position to return to Tatooine to free her," He said, his frustration clear. "I'm going to clear my head," he said, turning and leaving the cabin once again.

Padmè watched him go and sighed. She wished that there was something that she could say or do to help him, but her hands were tied. She turned to Luke and Leia to see them watching her intently. "Don't pay any attention to his anger. Anakin is just frustrated, that's all," she assured them. "He's just worried about his mother, it's nothing new. I don't think he'll ever stop worrying about her safety until he sees for himself that she is going to do fine."

"Why doesn't he just go to her then?" Leia asked.

"Because it doesn't work that way. He's been asking the council for permission to check on her for quite some time, but every time he would bring up, they would assign him with a lengthy and difficult mission in hopes that his mind would be too preoccupied and that he would forget about it. Being away from her like this is very hard for him," Padmè explained.

"Because he can't protect her?" Luke deducted.

"It's more than that. Anakin is very close to his mother. It broke both their hearts to be parted. Anakin keeps waiting because he feels like he is following her wishes to move on and not to keep looking back to the past. But he wants more than anything to have her with him, even if he won't openly admit to it. I fear what it might do to him if he ever truly lost her," Padmè told them.

Luke and Leia looked at each other, partially understanding the puzzle, after all, they knew that if their father didn't interfere, their grandmother would most certainly die.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Padmè sat with Luke and Leia as Luke gave her lessons in how to play Sabacc, something that she had learned from Leia, that he was very shrewd and extremely talented in. Leia had assured her that Luke was a very good and fair teacher, and because she was up for a challenge, Padmè had agreed to take lessons. They were cooped up together for a week, why not have some fun. Padmè looked over at where Anakin lounged on one of the bunks, reading from a datapad. "Anakin, why don't you join us?" she asked.

"You don't want me to play," Anakin told her, not looking up.

"Why not?" Padmè asked, placing a card down after a long deliberation, growing concerned when she caught the corners of Luke's mouth twitch.

"Because I'll clean you out in under two minutes," Anakin answered.

Leia snorted. "Not likely," she said, glancing at her brother. "Wormie always wins," she said.

"_Wormie_?" Anakin questioned, looking up.

"Fixer was already taken so everyone back home decided to crown me with that title. It's well earned," Luke explained, placing down a card.

"How so?" Anakin asked.

"Because I can get in anywhere and do things that no one else could," Luke told him.

Leia looked at her hand, the cards on the table, and glanced at her brother. "Pass," she said.

"Wise move, Princess," Luke said, smiling slyly.

Leia frowned at both the reference and the tone. "I do have a suggestion," she said.

Luke raised an eyebrow silently.

"What is it?" Padmè asked.

"That we play teams, Luke and I together, against the two of you," Leia suggested.

"You sure you want to do that?" Anakin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Bring it on," Luke said, laying his cards down. Leia did the same and so did Padmè, both women groaning at seeing Luke's winning hand.

Anakin stood and glanced at the winning cards. "I can do better," he said confidently, taking a seat beside Padmè.

"So can I. I wasn't trying to win, just merely trying to teach," Luke pointed out.

Leia gathered the cards together, and shuffled them before dispersing them. "Prepare to loose," she said confidently.

"What are we playing for?" Anakin asked, checking his cards.

Luke and Leia glanced at each other. "Every point we loose, we have to reveal something embarrassing," Leia suggested.

"And for every point we win?" Padmè asked.

"You get to ask a question, but nothing that Leia and I are not at liberty to discuss," Luke answered, looking at Anakin.

Anakin frowned, knowing that he was being singled out. "Deal," he said.

Luke and Leia looked at one another, giving slight hand signals.

"No cheating," Anakin told them, frowning.

"We don't need to cheat," Luke told him.

"What do you call those hand signals?" Anakin asked.

"It's not what you think," Leia told him.

"It looks like cheating which is underhandedly and points to the fact that you're not good enough to win without it," Anakin told them.

Luke laughed. "Shows how much you know," he said. "I know cheating all right. I've been playing against crime lords and winning fair and square since I was seven," he boasted. "I used my winnings to buy a number of vehicles, mostly to replace what I damaged beyond repair."

"Well, I learned how to play in Gardulla the Hutt's palace when I was four," Anakin countered.

"Then I should be worried about _you_ trying to cheat," Luke told him.

"I never cheat, it's called skill, you either have it or you don't," Anakin told him, offended by the mere implication.

"Prove it," Luke challenged.

Padmè looked over at Leia who hasn't said anything. "Is he always like this?" she asked.

"Only when he's playing sabacc. Between Luke and our friend, Han, sabacc is a game of honor and proves their masochism," Leia answered.

Padmè rolled her eyes. "I never understood that about men. How they can place their pride on a simple game," she said.

"Sabacc isn't just a game," Anakin told her. "Lives are traded over it," he informed her.

Padmè rolled her eyes. "Oh honestly," she said.

Anakin looked at her, all serious. "How do you think my mother and I came into Gardulla's ownership? Gardulla won us in a game of sabacc. Our previous owner was going to free us before he lost the game and died," he told her.

"And you like the game?" Padmè asked.

"I learned how to play as an elaborate ploy to win mine and my mother's freedom...only I didn't get to play against Gardulla before she lost us to Watto, and you know Watto, all he cared about was money and how I could make him money," Anakin told her.

"His greed was astounding," Padmè told him.

Anakin laughed. "No offense, Milady, but you didn't see much ten years ago," he told her.

"Are we going to chat or play?" Luke asked seriously.

"Best score out of, lets say...twenty rounds?" Anakin suggested.

"Sounds good," Leia said after Luke nodded his approval. "Though, this would be more fun with some Corellian Whiskey," she mused.

"Nah...theres better stuff in the Cantinas on Tatooine...though you'd be best to not know what it is you'd be drinking most of the time," Luke countered.

Leia pulled a face. "You have the strangest tastes," she said, looking at her brother.

Luke chuckled. "You run away from home every so often, rebel against your guardians, you'd try and do anything just to tick them off," he said, putting a card down.

"Are you proud of that?" Padmè asked.

"I used to be...until they died. Now I'm filled with regret," Luke answered honestly. "I know now that they were protecting me, but back then, they were lying and keeping secrets from me, and never once explained why. So I ran off every so often to mix in with the local riffraff that hung around in the space ports and cantinas. I never once thought about their feelings, just mine, and it was selfish of me. Of course, now I can't apologize or clear the air."

"That must be terrible," Padmè said in sympathy, deliberating on what card to put down.

"It was the same for me," Leia put in. "I channeled my frustration into what I could do to aid the galaxy most of the time, but every so often I would mingle with a few riffraff and excused my behavior for getting to know them so that I could help them," she explained, and after some deliberation, put a card down.

Anakin glanced at the cards on the table and the ones in his hand, and grew satisfied with his move as he placed a card down. However his satisfaction was short lived when Luke placed his next card down. That was a point taken away from him and everyone at the table looked at him expectantly. Resigning to this, he decided on what he was going to reveal. "I didn't learn how to swim until I was thirteen, _after_ I nearly drowned," he disclosed and picked up another card.

Padmè glanced at the cards on the table and the ones in her hand, before deciding what she would put down next. Leia put hers down next and everyone looked at her. "Did I loose a point?" she asked.

"I'm afraid so," Anakin told her, frowning.

Padmè sighed before deciding what she would disclose. "It's very seldom, but sometimes, I mew in my sleep," she told them.

"Really?" Anakin asked interested. Padmè nodded. "How do you know?" he asked.

"My sister recorded me doing it," Padmè answered.

"Now, I have to hear that," Anakin said decisively. Padmè shoved him in reply and he just chuckled. "I'm sorry, Milady, but you shouldn't have said anything about it," he teased.

"You're terrible," Padmè told him, frowning.

Anakin carefully studied the cards on the table, the ones in his hand, before looking at his challenger who wore a serene mask. Anakin focused on Luke for a moment, before he made his decision. He frowned again as he lost yet another point when Luke placed his card down. He debated with himself for a moment, not really sure if he really wanted to continue this way. "My nickname on Tatooine was Dung Grease," he disclosed and frowned when Luke and Leia instantly started laughing at his expense.

"That isn't funny," Padmè told them, not happy. "That's cruel."

"It's actually amateur," Anakin said dismissively. "I've come up with much better insults," he said, going back to his hand. He looked over at Padmè. "Thank you for not laughing," he said quietly. "Try the Master, it's fourteen points," he whispered. While Luke and Leia continued to chuckle.

Padmè nodded, before following his advice. This got Luke and Leia's attention who just looked at each other, sobering up immediately.

Anakin gave a smug smile. "Now it's question time," he said.

Padmè tapped her finger against her chin as she thought of her question. Finally she made her decision. "How exactly are the two of you connected?" she asked.

"We're twins," Leia answered.

"Interesting," Anakin commented, consulting his cards carefully.

"What?" Luke asked.

Anakin shrugged. "Nothing that interests you," he said dismissively, though the strange feeling that they were connected somehow never leaving him, but he dismissed that as pure coincidence. But that didn't mean that he couldn't toy with them.

Luke and Leia frowned before Leia placed her card down. A feral grin crossed Anakin's face as he placed his card down, the point going to him.

Luke and Leia looked at each other. "I've got a bad feeling," Luke muttered.

"Scared yet?" Anakin questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't scare easily," Luke answered and Leia seconded him.

"Name the current Sith Lords," Anakin said, deciding upon his question.

"Darth Sidious and we're not certain about the other one's name," Luke answered.

"You mentioned Vader. Who's he?" Anakin asked.

"He doesn't come into play until later," Leia told him. She set her cards down. "This has become too serious. It's not fun anymore. I'm out," she said standing up from the teble to stand by the window.

"I agree with Leia. This isn't fun anymore," Padmè said, putting her cards down and leaving the table too.

"Did anyone ever tell you that your single mindedness will lead you into trouble?" Luke asked, looking at Anakin over his cards.

"I am only single minded when I smell a rat," Anakin told him. "Your move."

"So mistrustful," Luke muttered, and placed another card down, the mistress card, thirteen points.

Anakin laid down his next card, the evil one, minus fifteen points. "Why don't we make this more interesting," Anakin suggested before they revealed their last cards.

"Interesting how?" Luke asked.

"Oh honestly, the two of you! It's just a game," Padmè said exasperatedly.

"It's more than a game," Anakin told her, eying his opponent through slit eyes. "Loser has to eat the evening meal in the galley wearing one of their elaborate gowns they have packed away," he decided referring to both Leia and Padmè.

"Now that might be fun to see," Leia said, looking at Padmè, who just shook her head in response.

"Deal," Luke agreed, looking forward to the sight.

Anakin placed his last card down, the endurance, minus eight points. "Pure Sabacc," he said triumphantly.

Luke nodded appreciatively. "Foolproof hand, however a positive twenty-three trumps that," he said smugly, laying down a nine.

Anakin gaped, not believing it. "Impossible! You cheated! I know you did!" he exclaimed.

Luke stretched his arms back and crossed them behind his head, leaning back, smiling smugly. "Are you always a sore looser?" he asked.

Padmè laughed at seeing Anakin flabbergasted. "It's just a game," she reminded him.

"I think that we should pick out an appropriate gown for dinner," Leia said, highly amused.

"Leia...this may be the only opportunity..." Luke pointed out, very amused.

"Don't worry, this will be perfect..." Leia assured him.

"I do have a holocamera with me," Padmè put in, ignoring Anakin sharp look of betrayal. "I just bought it not to long ago so that I could start a family holo album," she said.

"You wouldn't..."Anakin said in disbelief, looking at Padmè. "No...you would never stoop that low."

"This should teach a lesson, Anakin. Gamboling isn't worth it. I thought you knew that already," Padmè couldn't stop herself from laughing. She looked at Leia. "There is one minor issue," she said.

"What?" Leia asked.

"He's taller than both of us, which means the skirt may be a little high," Padmè pointed out.

"And he definitely can't wear those boots in that case," Leia added.

Padmè nodded. "Heals it is," she said.

"What!!" Anakin cried incredulously. "There was no mention of shoes!"

"My sister is almost as tall as Anakin and I found these heals that I know she would love...why they look about the right size, luckily enough, I have them with me," Padmè told Leia, ignoring Anakin's outburst.

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Anakin stood in the middle of the cabin, frowning and his arms crossed. He was certain that Luke cheated. Positive. But _how_? Right now he glared at Luke who looked quite pleased with himself. Luke had to hold him down as Padmè removed his tunics and Leia removed his boots. Now he was forced to stand in a pair of very feminine heals that were a size too small and bare chested, in the chill of hyperspace. The suitcases had been opened and Padmè was going through them with Leia.

"I like the blue one," Padmè decided, holding up a royal blue gown that screamed female. She walked over to him and held the gown up against him. "See, the color will bring out his eyes," she said looking over at Leia.

"I haven't really noticed," Leia said, walking over.

Padmè smiled. "I always did like his eyes, they remind me of the lakes on Naboo," she said, looking over at Leia.

"I always capered Luke's eyes to the oceans of Alderaan," Leia told her.

"Why are we discussing my eyes?" Luke asked, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't notice," Padmè admitted and looked over at Luke, deciding to do a comparison. "Luke, why don't you join us?" she suggested.

"Depends. Do I have to play dress up too?" Luke asked, chuckling as Anakin's annoyance intensified.

"No...you won the game," Padmè assured him. "I just want to do a comparison," she told him.

Luke shook his head, but complied, walking over to them. Padmè took his shoulders and directed him to stand right next to Anakin.

Padmè eyed both men closely, noting the differences and similarities in their physical appearances. "You both have the same eyes, in fact they are so identical it's uncanny," she said. "Hair the same exact shade of blond. You both have a cleft chin. Luke, you're a little shorter. But all in all. The resemblance, while not identical, is uncanny," she said. "Anakin, you don't think...?

"Not possible, this is just a coincidence," Anakin told her shortly. "The odds of what you are even suggesting is about three billion to one, not very promising," he told her.

"Anakin...what do you really know about your family?" Padmè asked.

"I know enough. I know that they were all separated by slavers exactly forty-one years ago somewhere near Nal Hutta. I know my grandparents names. My aunt's name and my uncle's name. My family hasn't been together since. My mother and I have accepted that and the fact that we may never be together. I'm not particularly interested in running a galaxy-wide search that might result in nothing but giving my mother false hope," Anakin told her rather crossly.

"You don't have to be pessimistic about it, it was just a thought," Padmè told him, a little put out by his attitude. "I just assumed that you might have been welcoming to the possibility that you had more family. I won't bring it up again," she said.

"Family isn't that nice of a subject for me considering what I just told you," Anakin told her. "If I believed for a moment that I could find them, I would do so, for my mother's happiness alone," he told her.

"You don't think it's a possibility?" Padmè pressed.

"No offense, Milady, but you don't have the proper understanding of slavery, I would advise you to keep your opinions to yourself," Anakin told her, using almost the same phrase she had with him when she told him he had little understanding with politics.

Padmè looked him in the eye crossly at that. "What does that mean?" she demanded.

"Just that to even attempt to track a slave down after forty-one years of enslavement is impossible. It is uncertain how many owners a slave will be passed between, and in most cases, there aren't any records kept, all evidence you have to go on is hear say, which is unreliable. Because slavery is illegal, the change of hands will be known to very few. The temperament of owners fluctuates from decent to cruel and brutal. I can't count how many fellow slaves I knew who had died for the smallest offense, the number is too great. Now considering that, do you see my point?" Anakin pointed out.

Padmè frowned, hating that he may be right. "I see your point," she conceded. "But I still believe that there is a possibility that you may find some relatives," she added.

"I sincerely doubt that," Anakin told her flatly.

Padmè frowned at his negative attitude on the subject. "Here," she said, "Put this on, you have a bet to fulfill," she said instead, handing him the gown.

"Just how much did this cost?" Anakin asked, examining it and frowning at it's complexity.

"Why?" Padmè asked.

"I just want to know how mad you'll be if I destroy it," Anakin told her. "I think the incinerator would do the job nicely," he mused.

"If you're trying to be funny, you're not being successful," Padmè told him.

"Why must you wear something so unnecessarily complicated?" Anakin asked, still trying to figure out how the thing was put on.

"I hate to point this out, but he _does_ have a point," Luke said.

"Fashion makes little sense to rational people, but for appearances sake, one is expected to dress a certain way. It isn't that it's a choice, but more of a sociable rule," Leia told them. "At least, that was what I was told as a child. Personally, I'd much rather dress simply and be comfortable," she added.

"Here," Padmè said, going to assist him before he ripped the gown. "Honestly," she said.

"I don't have to go through with this..." Anakin started.

"Yes your do!" came the unison of replies making him frown.

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Anakin was immensely pleased that he was not born a female and was beginning to sympathize with females, starting to have a greater appreciation of them for they must suffer having to dress this way and walk in these death traps on feet that females called shoes. Not only was he unbalanced in these shoes and his feet in great pain, but he knew that he would most likely have a better chance at retaining some sort of balance if it weren't for the hem on this gown he was forced to wear. He had not once, but five times, tumbled flat on his face and they hadn't even left the corridor that their cabin was in. They were no where near the galley and he was really tempted to swiftly shoved these shoes up someone's rear so that they would never be found.

"I'd really like to know what it is that I had done that was so awful that I am being forced to suffer like this," Anakin grumbled, not having noticed the look that Luke and Leia shared.

Padmè laughed. "If you didn't make the bet in the first place, you wouldn't be going through with it," she pointed out.

"Now, see. I normally don't have to worry about this because I always win," Anakin pointed out.

"You can't win every time," Padmè told him.

Anakin looked at her. "I work very hard to be the best at everything. This right here is insulting," he told her.

"Maybe so. But at least I have permanent reminders," Padmè told him smiling as she took yet one more shot of him with her holocamera.

"You're enjoying this way too much," Anakin grumbled.

"I'm sorry, Anakin, but how often is it that a man willingly goes through with something like this?" she replied.

"You do realize that these shoes are too small, right? Do you know how painful this is?" Anakin asked.

"You do realize that many women have to put up with that?" Padmè retorted. "My sister for example, inherited my father's feet, it's either get her shoes custom made or she wears a pair that is too small," she pointed out.

"I sympathize with your sister, then," Anakin told her.

Padmè looked at him. "That is one accomplishment for women," she said.

"What is?" Anakin asked.

"For a man to sympathize with a woman over something like this," Padmè explained. "You would be surprised to know how many men who live in patriarchal societies, do not value women any more or equal standard to their own gender. How little rights women have in those societies," she told him.

Anakin looked at her. "No I wouldn't," he countered. "In slave communities, females are only valued for their ability to dace for lewd attention or for some scums own carnal pleasure with little rights to refuse. There is nothing worse for females than that. I've seen some take their own lives just to keep themselves from having to be subjected to more abuse. I've even seen them try to run away only for that transmitter chip to go off..." he trailed off, not wanting to speak of any more of those horrors.

"I wish that didn't happen, Ani," she said.

"So do I," Anakin agreed. "But more and more I'm beginning to think that no matter what anyone could do to stop it... they'll never succeed," he admitted.

"We must never loose faith in the good and justice, Anakin. The moment we do, it may cease to exist," Padmè told him.

"I've started a monthly request to the council that we do something to help the slaves, they have yet to make a decision on it," Anakin told her. "I don't see why it's taking so long to make a decision. As keepers of the peace and protectors of justice, it is the duty of the Jedi Order to protect the interest of the ones who need it most, but it's frustrating when the council must first run this by the Senate. I don't think the senate cares about what happens to the slaves, or else something would have been started by now," he told her in confidence.

"Most of the senators have gone corrupt, Anakin, there are so few of us who are loyal to the foundations of democracy anymore. Remember, even after all the trials, Nute Gunrory is still the Viceroy of the Trade Federation," Padmè reminded him.

"I think that you just named someone who wants you dead," Anakin told her. "I know that he is allying the Trade Federation to the Separatist cause, but nothing has been finalized as of yet...at least that is what is rumored to be happening," he told her.

"You pay attention to politics?" Padmè asked surprised.

"I believe that it is important to understand what it is you are serving," Anakin told her. "I spent a considerable amount of time in the archives trying to understand the Republic," he informed her.

"You surprise me, Anakin," Padmè told him.

"I hope that is a good thing," Anakin replied. "But I do think that you owe me an apology," he pointed out.

"For what?" Padmè asked.

"You didn't want to hear my opinion and assumed that I didn't understand politics," Anakin reminded her.

"I didn't know otherwise, Anakin, you never mentioned it, so I naturally assumed that you didn't understand, I apologize," Padmè apologized.

"Thank you," Anakin replied. "Now, do you think that I've suffered enough?" he asked.

Padmè laughed. "I honestly didn't think that you would have lasted this long," she told him.

"Does this mean that we can go back?" Anakin asked hopefully.

"Will you not erase my holos of this moment?" Padmè asked.

"I'll consider it," he told her.

"You truly are one of a kind, you know that?" Padmè laughed.

"I think that fact alone makes Obi-Wan happy. I don't think that he could handle it if there were two of me," Anakin mused.

Padmè laughed. "You're terrible," she told him.

"Obi-Wan likes it, I keep him from getting old," Anakin joked.

"Poor Obi-Wan," Padmè sympathized. "He didn't know what he was getting into."

"No, he really didn't," Anakin agreed and they laughed.

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The silence was deafening. Luke couldn't hear the engine of the transport carrier, but he could feel it hum through the force. He had spent a good deal trying to commune with the force on what his next move should be. It was his belief that the force wanted them here in this point in time or else this wouldn't be possible. But that wasn't the reason he was awake when he should be sleeping. No, he was trying to think of a way to be completely out of the way. As he observed his parents, it was clear that they were close, but was there love yet? Or were they both too stubborn to see it?

"Any idea on what we should do now?" Leia asked from her spot beside him.

"None yet," Luke answered. "Even the force is silent," he added.

"We're not supposed to be here," Leia reminded him. "How are we not supposed to get in the way of what should happen?" she asked.

"I don't know," Luke told her. "One wrong move...either way we're on our own right now," he said.

"I don't like this," Leia told him.

Luke didn't say anything either way, choosing instead to close his eyes and rest the back of his head against the wall of the cabin. He was saved from answering when he heard some fitful muttering coming from across them. Opening his eyes he saw Anakin twisting and muttering fitfully in his sleep.

"Nightmare," Leia told him and moved to wake Anakin up, but Luke stopped her.

"I think that he should wake from this on his own," Luke told her.

"Why?" Leia asked.

"The force is telling me so," Luke told her.

Leia nodded, knowing not to question him. And soon after they saw Anakin quickly sit up in bed.

"Nightmare?" Luke questioned.

Anakin quickly composed himself, forcing himself to relax. "No," he answered.

"We heard you," Leia told him.

"Jedi don't have nightmares," Anakin told them.

"No, they have visions, warning from the force if you want to call them that," Luke said calmly.

"You sound like you know something about them," Anakin pointed out.

"They usually come to me when someone I'm close to is in danger," Luke told him.

"When?" Leia asked.

"When you and Han were captured on Bespin,. It's how I knew where to find you. I saw you and Han being tortured while I was on Dagobah with Master Yoda," Luke told her. "And you've had them as well," he added.

"I don't know what you mean," Leia told him.

"You're recurring nightmares that you told me about," Luke prompted.

"The ones I had as a child?" Leia questioned. "They were nothing."

"You don't believe that," Luke said, looking at her and Leia looked away.

"What were they about?" Anakin asked.

Leia closed her eyes, trying not to picture the nightmares. "It wasn't really clear. I remember seeing the Emperor in some of them, those were the worst ones. The central figure remains unknown, he's out of view, but he was suffering, screaming tortured screams of agony. The earliest years were the worst, before his screams lessoned and were replaced by indifference and hatred...then they stopped. They were what convinced me that the Emperor was truly a monster," she told him, just speaking of them bothered her greatly. She looked at Luke, "but I don't know why..." she trailed off as she finally realized what her nightmares were about.

"It sounds like Sith Training," Anakin told her hollowly. "I read a forbidden book in the archives about it once... I didn't intend to read it, it just wouldn't leave me alone until I did and when I did...it was greatly disturbing. I barely slept for months, what was in it...it would pop into my head when I was sleeping. I fear the possibility that destroying the Sith is impossible if they are capable of... that" he stopped.

"What was your nightmare about?" Luke asked.

"I'm not sure," Anakin admitted. "Images, feelings, suffering, the images moves so fast, it's difficult to tell if it is of something that is happening now or that hasn't happened yet," he answered.

"But is enough to have you worried and scared?" Luke asked.

"Feeling that way is unavoidable, vision or not," Anakin told them. He laid back down and closed his eyes, willing the images from his head.

Luke and Leia watched him, both hoping that they could stop Palpatine from converting him to the Sith and wishing for a way to successfully compromise their father's trust in the Chancellor without suspicion.

Once they were sure that he was once again asleep, Leia spoke. "The comparison is is striking in it's contrast," she said.

"I know what you mean," Luke agreed. Then they both heard a faint mew and they quietly laughed.

"This is too much," Leia said once their laughter died.

"I never thought of the possibility to see them together," Luke told her.

Leia nodded. "I know," she agreed. "When I a little, I used to imagine what they were like, if they had a different kind of relationship than my adoptive parents had," she disclosed.

Luke nodded. "I didn't give it much thought, I just wished that they were alive and I was somewhere other than Tatooine," he told her.

"I find it interesting how they've known each other since childhood. I can see how close they are, how important they are to each other," Leia told him.

"But do they love each other, or does that come later?" Luke asked.

Leia looked at the subjects of the conversation. "I don't think that they even realize what it is they feel yet," she said, recognizing it for what it was, for she had once been in that situation.

Luke nodded. "I guess," he said, moving off of the bunk. "I'm going to get some sleep," he told her, getting comfortable on the other one.

Leia did the same on her own. "I just wish we'd get there by now," she said, settling down.


	13. Arrival to Naboo and a Rescue

**A/N:**_ Please consult my profile before asking for an update in your review.  
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It was several hours before Anakin woke again and it wasn't from horrible visions in his sleep but rather something more pleasant, something that both pleased and confused him at the same time. He lingered between alertness and slumber, not wishing to wake up from his pleasant dream, but the sound of voices caught his attention and he keyed into the tones and voice identifications, distinguishing Luke and Leia's quiet voices, the two believing that they were the only ones awake. Wanting to hear this, Anakin pretended to sleep some more.

"I've never been to Naboo, do you think it's better than anywhere else we've been?" Luke asked.

"I'm not sure, I've never been to Naboo either," Leia answered.

"But you must know something about it," Luke insisted.

"I've never really been interested, Luke. I hard my adoptive father talk about it, but I never paid attention, nor did I ever want to go there," Leia told him.

"Why not?" Luke asked.

"Visiting the supposed home world of the Emperor wasn't vary appealing. Would you really want to have gone to a place that you associated with evil incarnate?" Leia replied.

"I suppose you're right," Luke agreed, his tone suggesting that he was frowning. "But think about it now, Leia...we just learned that it's a part of our heritage, could it really be so bad?" he told her.

There was a moment of silence before Leia spoke. "I'm not really sure that we have much heritage to be proud about, Luke," she admitted.

"Leia..." Luke started.

"It is much more appealing to have a father who is a Jedi than to have a father who is a homicidal maniac, the second most evil man in the galaxy, and it is so very hard for me to accept that in just a few short years..." she stopped, her emotions getting the best of her.

"We're going to rewrite history, Leia. It's not too late. I believe that we're here for a reason and I trust enough in the force to know that it knows what its doing," Luke assured her.

"You're too optimistic, Luke. I don't understand how it hasn't been driven from you after all that we've been through," Leia told him.

"I simply let go of my pain and my anger and I have forgiven, Leia. It takes a strong person to do so, or so Obi-Wan once told me," Luke told her.

"I sometimes wonder how different things would have been had I not been captured while trying to gain his help in destroying the Death Star," Leia admitted.

"I may not have left Tatooine with him, Leia, had things gone differently and we would have never known about each other," Luke told her.

"Did he ever explain why we were separated?" Leia asked.

"It was for our own protection, I suppose. I'm not entirely sure if it was Obi-Wan's idea though," Luke answered.

"What makes you think that?" Leia asked.

"I just know," Luke answered. "He cared too much for us."

There was silence and Anakin could sense Padmé beginning to stir and he knew that he would hear no more, but still, he remained lingering in the place he was, entirely too comfortable and content to make a move to get up any time soon.

"Is, Anakin still sleeping?" he heard Padre sleepily asked.

"He startled awake in the middle of the night cycle with a... disturbing dream," Luke explained.

Anakin rolled over onto his side, facing the wall of the cabin. "It's too early to even be talking," he grumbled, keeping his eyes closed.

There was silence for a moment before someone else spoke. "It seems like someone isn't a morning person," Padmé pointed out.

"I'll say," Luke agreed. "Leia here is the same way," he added.

Leia glared at her brother. "Oh really?" she asked.

"You bite people's heads off for waking you too early for your standards and sometimes you get physical," Luke pointed out. "I sported that black eye that you gave me back on Hoth for a week," he concluded.

"Not everyone is bright and cheery so early in the morning," Leia told him.

"I'm used to getting up early, I grew up on a farm, while you grew up in a palace, spoiled rotten," Luke told her.

"Who are you calling spoiled rotten?" Leia demanded.

Luke merely smiled in response, knowing better than to continue with this line of discussion. So instead he turned to Padmé. "So, what's Naboo like?" he asked, keeping the eagerness from his voice, effectively changing the subject.

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Padmé returned to the cabin with some food for Anakin after she had finished eating in the galley with Luke and Leia and telling them all about Naboo. She returned to the cabin alone as they wished to stretch their legs for a bit by themselves. Upon entering the cabin, she saw that Anakin was still sleeping, so she set the food down and turned her back for a bit, beginning to remove her head piece and uncoiled her hair. She was about to brush it when she heard Anakin start to mutter and she turned back around, going to him.

"No, no, Mom, no..." he muttered in his sleep. He was sweating. Padmé leaned over resting her hand on his arm. He woke up with a start, then realized where he was. Padmé simply looked at him. He stared back, somewhat confused.

"What?" Anakin asked.

"You seemed to be having a nightmare," Padmé told him.

Anakin looked at Padmé a little more closely, trying to see if he has revealed any of his secrets. She handed him a bowl of mush and bread.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Yeah," Anakin answered, realizing that he was in fact hungry and took the food she offered.

"Thanks," Anakin said. "Where are Luke and Leia?" he asked, seeing that they were missing.

"They went to take a walk around the ship," Padmé told him, taking a seat at the dejerik table.

Anakin stood, with the food in his hands and came over to sit across from her, glad to be alone with her for a bit. He stared at her, noting her hair laying loosely down her back in loose curls. He hadn't ever realized or noticed that her hair was curly and decided that he liked it, that it suited her. As he looked at her, he took special note of just how beautiful she was, more so with her hair down and loose to where it framed her face. "I look forward to seeing Naboo again. I've thought about it every day since I left. It's by far the most beautiful place I've ever seen..." he said, not bothering to look away and not mentioning his thoughts.

Padmé was a little unnerved by his intense stare. "It may not be as you remember it. Time changes perception," she told him.

"Sometimes it does..." Anakin agreed. "Sometimes for the better," he put in.

"It must be difficult having sworn your life to the Jedi... not being able to visit the places you like... or do the things you like..." Padmé said, changing the subject.

"Or be with the people I love," Anakin put in, betraying his thoughts somewhat and not even realizing it or the implications of his words until it was too late.

"Are you allowed to love? I thought it was forbidden for a Jedi," Padmé asked, taken aback by his words.

"Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is central to a Jedi's life, so you might say we're encouraged to love," Anakin told her, effectively covering himself up.

"You have changed so much," Padmé said, realizing just how grown up he was, that he was no longer just a little boy as she remembered him to be.

"You haven't changed a bit. You're exactly the way I remember you in my dreams," Anakin told her and cursed himself for doing it again so he quickly added, "I doubt if Naboo has changed much either."

"It hasn't..." Padmé said followed by an awkward moment of silence before she spoke again, deciding on a neutral topic."You were dreaming about your mother earlier, weren't you?" she asked.

Anakin knew what she was doing and was glad for it, least he give much more of his thoughts away. "Yes... I left Tatooine so long ago, my memory of her is fading. I don't want to lose it. Recently I've been seeing her in my dreams... vivid dreams... scary dreams. I worry about her," he confided.

"I'm sure that she's alright, Ani. You saw some bad things to have happened to you both while you were slaves and as far as you know she is still a slave. It's probably your constant worry that is making you dream of her this way," she assured him.

"Obi-Wan says the same thing, but I'm not entirely sure. What I see doesn't make sense and it isn't something that I can decipher through my memories. I need to see her," Anakin told her before he notice Luke and Leia in the doorway and started eating.

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Several days in hyperspace had allowed Starkiller to formulate what he would be saying to the Lars when he arrived among other things pressing this era that he had been transported to. As he made the reversion to realspace, he beheld the planet Tatooine for the first time in many years. Even while he was in orbit tracking down the droids with the Death Star's plans, he didn't bother beholding the planet due to the memories that would plague his mind upon seeing it. But now, he couldn't stop himself from remembering and he took his time to gather himself before piloting his way into Tatooine's atmosphere. He debated on whether going to the farm first or docking somewhere else but decided to dock a few meters away from the farm, out of their sight, taking a moment to gather his nerve before leaving the ship, making sure to put a force field around it in order to protect it from any unwanted attention. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head as he crossed the distance to the farm where he was greeted by Threepio, just as he remembered doing at the age of nineteen with Padmé beside him.

"Hello, can I be of service?" Threepio asked.

"I'm here to see Cliegg Lars," Starkiller told him.

"Oh, in what regards?" Threepio asked.

"I am here on the behalf of Anakin Skywalker," Starkiller told him.

"The maker?" Threepio asked, almost sounding joyful at the name. "I will take you in," Threepio said, showing the way inside.

Starkiller followed him, the whole episode being too surreal to him and then he was met by Owen Lars, just as he remembered him.

"Threepio, who is this?" Owen asked.

"He says that he is here on the behalf of Anakin Skywalker, Master Owen, and wishes to speak to Master Cliegg," Threepio answered.

"And what is it that needs to be discussed," came Cliegg's voice as he appeared.

Starkiller turned to him. "I was asked to come here by your step-son, to check on his mother, is she here?" he said, regarding the man who now moved around in a hoverchair.

"No, she's not," Cliegg told him. "But you can tell me who you are," he put in.

Starkiller pulled down his hood. "I am Aaron Starkiller, Jedi knight, and an acquaintance of Anakin Skywalker," he introduced himself.

"And what business do you have here?" Cliegg asked.

"Anakin is very worried about his mother, he could feel that she is in pain, unfortunately the Jedi council has assigned him with a dire mission that requires his certain skills immediately. He has asked that I investigate for him until he has the chance to come himself and since I owe him, what some would call, a life debt, I agreed," Starkiller told them diplomatically.

Cliegg nodded. "Then we have something to discuss," he said and turned to his son. "Owen, I need you to mind your sisters," he said before leading Starkiller further inside.

But Starkiller already knew the way and instead looked into another room to see two six year old girls playing a board game, daftly remembering them but not by much. He barely remembered their names, something he chastised himself for. He followed Cliegg into the dining room and took a seat opposite of him, quietly listening to his tale for a second time.

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Luke stared into the scenery of Naboo's capital city in wonderment, trying to imagine growing up here rather than Tatooine, Leia, on the other hand, seemed detached. He didn't say anything to her or anyone else for that matter while he drank in the sights, sounds, and smells of the beautiful planet.

"If I grew up here, I don't think I'd ever leave," Anakin said decisively, speaking up.

Padmé laughed. "I doubt that," she said, knowing him too well.

"No, really. When I started my training, I was very homesick and very lonely. This city and my Mom were the only pleasant things I had to think about... The problem was, the more I thought about my Mom, the worse I felt. But I would feel better if I thought about the palace - the way it shimmers in the sunlight - the way the air always smells of flowers..." Anakin insisted.

"...and the soft sound of the distant waterfalls. The first time I saw the Capital, I was very young... I'd never seen a waterfall before. I thought they were so beautiful... I never dreamed one day I'd live in the palace," Padmé told him.

"Well, tell me, did you dream of power and politics when you were a little girl?" Anakin asked, only half serious.

Padmé laughed again. "No! That was the last thing I thought of, but the more history I studied, the more I realized how much good politicians could do. After school, I became a Senatorial advisor with such a passion that, before I knew it, I was elected Queen. For the most part it was because of my conviction that reform was possible. I wasn't the youngest Queen ever elected, but now that I think back on it, I'm not sure I was old enough. I'm not sure I was ready," she told him.

"The people you served thought you did a good job. I heard they tried to amend the Constitution so you could stay in office," Anakin said.

"Popular rule is not democracy, Ani. It gives the people what they want, not what they need. And, truthfully, I was relieved when my two terms were up. So were my parents. They worried about me during the blockade and couldn't wait for it all to be over. Actually, I was hoping to have a family by now... My sister has the most amazing, wonderful kids... So when the Queen asked me to serve as Senator, I couldn't refuse her," Padmé told him.

"I agree! I think the Republic needs you... I'm glad you chose to serve. I feel things are going to happen in our generation that will change the galaxy in profound ways," Anakin told her with conviction.

Luke and Leia exchanged a look, each thinking that Anakin didn't know just how true that would be.

"I think so too," Padmé agreed.

As they walked closer to the palace, Luke caught sight of something he had never seen before, so much water and rivers that fell of of an edge. Walking closer to get a better sight, he asked, "What is that?" in wonderment.

Padmé glanced at Anakin who shrugged while Leia rolled her eyes at her brother's ignorance. "It's a waterfall," Padmé told him as they walked over to it.

Anakin briefly grinned as he had a wicked idea. "They're actually quite fun to jump over, you should try it," he suggested seriously.

Padmé gaped at him, not believing that he would suggest something so dangerous. "Anakin!" she chastised as she noted that Luke believed him. She walked closer to Luke. "Don't listen to him, Luke, he's trying to get you to do something extremely dangerous and life threatening," she told him.

Luke looked over at Anakin, eyes wide, hardly believing that he would even suggest it. But Anakin kept the serious expression.

"I was only speaking the truth," Anakin told them. "I've done it."

Padmé frowned. "I do not think that you're funny," she told him and grew irritated when Anakin merely smiled.

Leia frowned as well, not liking the joke being played on her oblivious brother. "Why don't we forget about the waterfall," she said.

Luke, not having liked being the subject of a joke like that, was only too happy to forget about the waterfall. "Fine by me," he said, the wonder of seeing the waterfall having been ruined.

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Having 'borrowed' a speeder from the Lars, Starkiller raced through the dessert, following the same trail he remembered following before and stopped at the cliff overlooking the Tuskan camp. Looking down at the camp, he strategically planned out what he would be doing, deciding to leave the tribe alone unless they put up a fight, of which he did not doubt they would if they caught him. After deciding that the coast was clear, he mad the jump down the cliff, landing crouched on his feet, before moving quickly towards the camp, keeping low so he wouldn't be noticed. He remembered which hut his mother had been in, and inconspicuously made his way over to it. Taking his lightsaber into his hand, he ignited it and cut an opening into it and kicked it in before entering. There was a male Tuskan, snoozing near him, that woke with a start. However, before the tuskan could attack, Starkiller swiftly decapitated him and moved over to his mother, untying her from her bounds. He quickly did a scan of her vital signs and injuries through the force. They were better than he remembered and he knew that he had arrived in time.

Shmi somewhat opened her eyes. "Ani?" she groaned.

"Shh, you're safe," Starkiller told her, knowing that she really wasn't that much aware to take notice of his appearance.

"I knew you would come," Shmi said before slipping into unconsciousness.

Starkiller, gently gathered her into his arms, carrying her out from where he came, making a double effort to not be noticed which was made easy by the night sky and by the fact that the entire tribe seemed to be engrossed by the fire pit in the center of the hut. Once he was out of the camp, he hurried away with her and by the time the Tuskans had taken notice that she was missing, he had already taken off in the speeder.

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When they arrived at the palace of Theed, Padmé was welcomed warmly as she was quite beloved among the planet's people. Luke and Leia silently followed as Padmé lead them through the palace with Anakin at her side. Leia was used to such opulence that defined the palace where Luke, however, was not. Leia had to keep reminding her brother to stop gaping like some star struck child through their bond as the walked through the palace and into the throne room where the current Queen sat with her attendants. The Queen welcomed Padmé warmly.

"We've been worried about you, she took her hands, "I'm so glad you're safe, Padmé," she said with relief.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I only wish I could have served you better by staying on Coruscant for the vote," Padmé told her.

"Given the circumstances, Senator, you know it was the only decision Her Highness could have made," Governor Sio Bibble said.

"How many systems have joined Count Dooku and the separatists?" Queen Jamilla asked.

"Thousands. And more are leaving the Republic every day. If the Senate votes to create an army, I'm sure it's going to push us into a civil war," Padmé answered.

"It's unthinkable! There hasn't been a full scale war since the Ruusan Reformation! Sio Bibble declared.

"Do you see any way, through negotiations, to bring the separatists back into the Republic?" Queen Jamilla asked.

"Not if they feel threatened. The separatists don't have an army, but if they are provoked, they will move to defend themselves. I'm sure of that. And with no time or money to build an army, my guess is they will turn to the Commerce Guilds or the Trade Federation for help," Padmé answered.

"The armies of commerce! Why has nothing been done in the Senate to restrain them?" Queen Jamilla asked.

"I'm afraid that, despite the Chancellor's best efforts, there are still many bureaucrats, judges, and even Senators on the payrolls of the Guilds," Padmé answered.

"It's outrageous that, after all of those hearings, and four trials in the Supreme Court, Nute Gunray is still the Viceroy of the Trade Federation. I fear the Senate is powerless to resolve this crisis. Do those money mongers control everything?" Sio Bibble asked.

"Remember, Counselor, the courts were able to reduce the Federation's armies. That's a move in the right direction," Queen Jamilla reminded him.

"There are rumors, Your Highness, that the Trade Federation Army was not reduced as they were ordered," Padmé informed her.

"We must keep our faith in the Republic. The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it," Queen Jamilla told them.

"Let's pray that day never comes," Padmé said in agreement.

Queen Jamilla rose. "In the meantime, we must consider your own safety," she said, looking directly at Padmé.

Sio Bibble signaled to the advisors and attendants who all rose, bowed and left the room.

"What is your suggestion, Master Jedi?" Sio Bibble asked, looking at Anakin.

Before Anakin could come up with an answer, Padmé spoke.

"Anakin's not a Jedi yet, Counselor. He's still a Padawan learner. I was thinking..." Padmé began.

This seemed to grate on Anakin's nerves. "Hey, hold on a minute!" he said, nettled.

Padmé glanced at him, not liking his interruption. "Excuse me!" she said and turned back to the queen and governor. "I was thinking I would stay in the Lake Country. There are some places up there that are very isolated," she told them.

Anakin looked at her incredulously. "Excuse me?! I am in charge of security here, Milady," he said.

Luke and Leia looked at each other with raised eyebrows at the exchange. Both could feel the tension that just rose between Anakin and Padmé. Sio Bibble and Queen Jamilla noticed it too and exchanged a look.

"Ani, my life is at risk, and this is my home. I know it very well... that is why we're here. I think it would be wise for you to take advantage of my knowledge in this instance," Padmé told Anakin.

Anakin took a deep breath, not happy with not getting a say in the matter. "Sorry, Milady," he said with an undertone of annoyance.

"Perfect. It's settled then," Queen Jamilla decided.

Anakin glared at Padmé, unhappy with her at the moment with Luke and Leia each wondering if they ever argued like this during their marriage.

"Padmé, I had an audience with your father yesterday. I told him what was happening. He hopes you will visit your mother before you leave... your family's very worried about you," Queen Jamilla informed her.

"Thank you, your Highness," Padmé said as they exited.

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It had taken some convincing, but Starkiller was able to convince the Lars to let him take Shmi to Coruscant to get the proper treatment that she would need. He had no doubt that his younger self would end up on Tatooine to search for her only to find her gone as well as counteract what he had told the Lars. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to care one way or the other. He was doing what he should have done the first time around.

Making sure that there were no problems, Starkiller left the cockpit after making the jump to hyperspace. He went into the back of the ship to where Shmi rested and pulled out the first aid kit that he had packed. She was somewhat lucid but had not yet made a clear discern that he was not, in fact, her nineteen year old son, but her forty-six year old son from the future. Not wishing to shock her or to startle her with his appearance, he took out a syringe contain a serum that would put her into a short healing coma and rolled up the right sleeve of her arm. "I really don't like having to do this, but I have no choice," he told her before injecting her with the serum. He knew that, once her injuries were fully healed and that she were no longer in any danger, she would come out of it. Next and pulled out a bag of intravenous nutrients, hanging it on the side of the bunk and took the needle at the end of the tube running from the bag, and injected it into her arm, knowing that she had been malnourished while held captive by the Tuskans.

He took a seat on the floor of the cabin and watched her, feeling her out and trying to remember the good times he had with her. He decided that he would be keeping a close eye on her while they were in hyperspace.


	14. Padme's parent's and Kamino part one

**A/N:**_ First off, I'd like to thank my Beta reader, amthyst_fire for her help. Second,I'm sorry it's been a long time, I personally haven't updated anything in at least two months. I sorta exiled myself to deal with personal issues, but I'm back now.  
_

_Last, before you mention it, we will be seeing more of Luke and Leia and their thoughts in the next chapter as well as Starkiller will be on the scene again. Just be patient.  
_

* * *

After the meeting with the queen, the queen afforded Anakin, Padmé and Luke and Leia to change from their travailing garb before they left to see Padmé's parents. Both Anakin and Padmé carried on a conversation of comparing Naboo to Tatooine and their parents while Luke and Leia followed, both feeling awkward and unsure of themselves, knowing that they would be meeting their family for the first time, neither sure how to act or what to say, so they remained quiet.

Suddenly Padmé stopped at one particular house. "There's my house!" Padmé announced as she lead the way towards a large three story brick house. She started forward with Luke and Leia; Anakin hung back.

Padmé had noticed this however. "What? Don't say you're shy!" she wanted to laugh out loud at such a thought.

Anakin fought against his face getting flushed. "No, but I..." he began untruthfully.

Suddenly, there were shouts of "Aunt Padmé!" from two little girls, one six year old and the other four, who came running toward Padmé.

"Ryoo!! Pooja!!" Padmé bent down to her knees and bundled up her nieces in her arms and after giving both girls a kiss on the cheek she said, "Go wake up Artoo."

Ryoo and Pooja forgot all about their beloved aunt and scrambled over to the droid shouting, "Artoo!!!" excitedly.

Padmé laughed as the girls hugged the droid which whistled and beeped. she looked over to see Anakin smiling, watching her interact with the children. she looked over at Luke and Leia to see them watching too in curiosity. "Let's go inside then," she said standing and leading the way inside.

Anakin, Luke and Leia followed her inside where she called out.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" Padmé called.

Suddenly a man who seemed to be in his early fifties walked into the entryway. "Padmé, this certainly is a surprise!" he said warmly, embracing his youngest.

"Well, extenuating circumstances brought me home," Padmé told him as they broke apart.

"What circumstances? And who are these people?" Ruwee Naberrie asked.

Padmé glanced at Anakin, Luke and Leia. "They're jedi assigned to protect me," she told her father.

"Protect you from what? What can't your own security handle?" Ruwee asked.

"It doesn't matter right now," Padmé told him dismissively, waving a hand.

"Padmé, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" Ruwee persisted.

"There is some opposition to the bill that she's trying to pass," Anakin said speaking up.

Ruwee sighed, not liking the meaning. "Alright, I won't press, only because your mother will do enough pressing for the both of us," he told her, turning his attention to his guest. "Ruwee Naberrie," he introduced himself holding his hand out.

"Anakin Skywalker," Anakin introduced himself, noting the reaction Leia had to the name Naberrie as she quickly glanced out the window as he shook Ruwee's hand.

Luke tried to keep a goofy smile from his face, only half succeeding as he shook Ruwee's hand. "Luke Sk... Lars," he said as he introduced himself, catching himself on time.

Ruwee turned to Leia who quickly composed herself. "Leia Solo," Leia introduced herself, taking his hand.

"Well come on, Jobal's in the kitchen making dinner," Ruwee said leaving the entry where everyone followed, Padmé walking by her father's side.

"I don't think that I can keep things from Mom, can I?" Padmé asked.

"You're mother is an intelligent woman, she's going to note the Jedi at your side, you know that," Ruwee answered.

Padmé sighed. "I can always lie," she said wistfully.

Ruwee snorted. "Wishful thinking, Dearest, she knows you too well," he said as they entered the dining room where a beautiful woman in her late twenties walked in from the kitchen carrying a bowl of food.

"They're eating over at Jev Narran's later, Mom. They just had a snack. They'll be fine," she called over her shoulder into the kitchen. She put the bowl down on the table, she looked up and beamed. "Padmé!" she called, hugging her sister. she pulled away to look at their guests. "Who are your friends?" she asked, taking note of Luke taking Leia's hand in his.

"They're jedi, Sola, so don't go getting any ideas," Padmé told her.

Sola waved a hand dismissively. "When have I ever gotten these ideas?" she asked.

Padmé gave her a look. "I can name a few times," she said.

"Alright alright, honestly Padmé, you need to learn how to let your hair down sometime and have fun," Sola told her.

"I enjoy myself just fine from time to time," Padmé told her defensively.

Sola was about to counter that when their father broke in. "Enough you two," he said sternly taking his seat at the head of the table.

Padmé turned to Anakin, Luke and Leia. "Anakin, Luke, Leia, this is my sister, Sola," she said, "Sola, this is Anakin Skywalker, Luke Lars and Leia Solo," she made the introductions.

"Which is which?" Sola asked.

"I'm Luke," Luke said holding his hand up.

Sola nodded, "Got it," she said halting any further clarification.

They just sat down as Jobal Naberrie came in with a heaped bowl of steaming food.

"...and this is my mother," Padmé said, looking at Anakin, Luke and Leia.

Jobal smiled, having heard the introductions from the kitchen. "You're just in time for dinner. I hope you're hungry," she told them, setting the bowl down and taking her seat across from Ruwee.

"A little," Anakin said while Luke and Leia were quietly taking in their mother's family.

"He's being polite, Mom. We're starving," Padmé told her mother.

"You came to the right place at the right time," Ruwee said as food was being passed and dished out.

"Honey, it's so good to see you safe. We were so worried when we heard the holonet reportings," Jobal said.

Padmé gave Jobal a dirty look. Ruwee smiled as he watched. "Dear..." he warned.

"I know, I know... but I had to say it. Now it's done," Jobal said, using her hands for empathies.

"Well, this is exciting! Do you know, Anakin, you're the first boyfriend my sister's ever brought home?" Sola said, leaning towards Anakin, changing the subject.

"Sola!! He isn't my boyfriend!" Padmé snapped exasperatedly. "He's a Jedi assigned by the Senate to protect me," she told her.

"A bodyguard?! Oh, Padmé! They didn't tell us it was that serious!" Jobal gasped.

"It's not, Mom, I promise," Padmé said glancing at her mother. "Anyway, Anakin's a friend. I've known him for years. Remember that little boy who was with the Jedi during the blockade crisis?" she asked and they nodded. "He grew up," she finished. "Luke and Leia are also working with him," she added to distract her family.

"Honey, when are you going to settle down? Haven't you had enough of that life? I certainly have!" Jobal asked her youngest pointedly.

"Mom, I'm not in any danger," Padmé persisted.

"Is she?" Ruwee asked, looking at Anakin, Luke and Leia.

Luke and Leia were going to concur with Padmé to ease their fears before Anakin spoke. "...Yes ...I'm afraid she is," he said.

Padmé gave Anakin a dirty look before looking at her family. "But not much.," she insisted.

"Well, lets not talking about this anymore and try to enjoy a pleasant meal," Ruwee said halting the subject. And soon the subject turned to a neutral one such as the events in politics.

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After dinner Padmé, Sola, Jobal and Leia cleared the table.

"Why haven't you told us about him?" Sola asked, persisting on the subject of Anakin and Padme.

"What's there to talk about? He's just a boy," Padmé told her dismissively.

"A boy? Have you seen the way he looks at you?" Sola asked.

"Sola - stop it!"

Sola looked at Leia. "You see it too, right?" she asked.

Leia focused on what she was doing. "It's hard not to," she answered but before she could continue, Sola did.

"It's obvious he has feelings for you. Are you saying, little baby sister, that you haven't noticed?" Sola said looking at her sister.

"I'm not your baby sister, Sola. Anakin and I are friends... our relationship is strictly professional," Padmé responded defensively. "Mom, would you tell her to stop it?" she asked, looking at her mother.

Sola laughed."Well, maybe you haven't noticed the way he looks at you. I think you're afraid to," she said.

"Cut it out," Padmé warned.

"Sola's just concerned... we all are," Jobal said to her youngest.

"Oh, Mom, you're impossible. What I'm doing is important," Padmé said to her mother.

"You've done your service, Padmé. It's time you had a life of your own. You're missing so much!" Jobal persisted.

Leia listened to the exchange, somehow wondering if her mother would have said the same thing or encourage her when she was a senator or in the Alliance.

"I'm doing what I enjoy, Mom, I know that I can make a difference. Besides, I'd be bored out of my mind if I did retire," Padmé told her.

"Of course you would, you wouldn't have much intrigue in your life," Sola teased.

"Mom!" Padmé said exasperated.

Leia succeeded in keeping herself from laughing or smiling, knowing that Luke would fail if he heard this exchange and looked out the window into the garden to where Luke and Anakin were talking to Ruwee.

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Anakin, Luke, and Ruwee were walking.

"Sometimes I wish I'd traveled more... but I must say, I'm happy here," Ruwee said.

"Sometimes travel can be dangerous with all the pirates in space, they attack ships and sell people into slavery," Anakin told him.

Ruwee looked at him. "I've heard of that," he said, he eyed Anakin with an appraising look for a moment, somehow seeing through him. "The Refugee relief movement managed to rescue and reunite an entire family who had that misfortune, but one was still missing, a daughter," he told him.

"Padmé tells me you teach at the university?" Anakin said, changing the subject.

Ruwee nodded. "Yes, and before that, I was a builder. I also worked for the refugee relief movement when I was very young," he said.

"I've never heard of it," Luke said.

Ruwee looked at him. "The refugee relief movement helps a number of being in need," he told him. "It was started a few generations back, everyone in my family has taken part in it, why don't you look it up sometime," he explained. He turned back to Anakin, "Now tell me, son. How serious is this thing? How much danger is my daughter really in?" he asked, sensing that Anakin would be most forthcoming.

"There have been two attempts on her life. Chances are there'll be more. My Master is tracking down the assassins. I'm sure he'll find out who they are. This situation, won't last long," Anakin told him honestly.

"I don't want anything to happen to her," Ruwee said stopping to look Anakin square in the eye.

"I don't either," Anakin told him sincerely and Ruwee nodded.

Luke looked up to the house where he sensed Leia watching them and sent her thoughts of assurance. Each twin wondering what it would have been like to grow up with these people.

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Obi-Wan followed the instructions he was given to find the planet Kamino and was rewarded with the sight of the missing planet. The view is just like the star map hologram, plus, the storm-shrouded planet of Kamino was exactly where it ought to be.

"There it is, Arfour, right where it should be. Our missing planet, Kamino. Those files were altered," Obi-Wan said as he glided his ship to the surface.

Heavy rains and hard-driving winds lashed the platform as Obi-Wan's Starship approached. The huge, ultra-modern city of Tipoca rest on great stilts that kept it above the pounding and ever-present waves that covered the surface of the watery world.

The Starfighter landed and Obi-Wan got out and made his way through the howling wind toward a tower on the far side of the platform. A door slid open. A shaft of brilliant light pierced the swirling rain. Obi-Wan passed through it and went inside.

Obi-Wan pushed the soaking hood from his face as a tall slender alien walked towards him.

"Master Jedi, so good to see you," the alien said.

Obi-Wan wiped the rain from his face and blinks in surprise at a tall, pasty-white alien named Taun We. He had large, almond shaped eyes.

"The Prime Minister expects you," Taun We told him.

"I'm expected?" Obi-Wan asked wearily.

"Of course! He is anxious to meet you. After all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming. Now please, this way!" Taun We told him.

Obi-Wan masked his surprise as they move away along the corridor towards a room where he presumed that the prime minister awaited him.

The door slid open and Obi-Wan and Taun We entered and crossed to where Lama Su rose, smiling, from his chair, which, like all the furniture on Kamino, seemed made out of pure light.

"May I present Lama Su, Prime Minister of Kamino... and this is Master Jedi..." Taun We greeted

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Obi-Wan introduced himself.

Lama Su indicated a chair. Obi-Wan remained standing. Taun We hovered. The room was bathed in brilliant white light. The whole place was ultra high-tech.

"I trust you are going to enjoy your stay. We are most happy you have arrived at the best part of the season," Lama Su said.

"You make me feel most welcome," Obi-Wan told him.

"Please..." Lama Su gestured to the chair to which Obi-Wan took a seat. "And now to business. You will be delighted to hear we are on schedule. Two hundred thousand units are ready, with another million well on the way," he said.

"That is... good news," Obi-Wan said improvising.

"Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas that we have every confidence his order will be met on time and in full. He is well, I hope," Lama Su told him.

"I'm sorry? Master - ?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. He's still a leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?" Lama Su clarified.

"Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost ten years ago," Obi-Wan informed him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. But I'm sure he would have been proud of the army we've built for him," Lama Su told him.

"The army?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, a clone army. And, I must say, one of the finest we've ever created," Lama Su explained.

"Tell me, Prime Minister, when my Master first contacted you about the army, did he say who it was for?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Of course he did. This army is for the Republic. But you must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself," Lama Su answered.

"That's why I'm here," Obi-Wan told him as he and Lama Su rose and walked to the door.

---------------------------------------------

Padmé and Anakin were in an upstairs bedroom while Luke and Leia hovered just outside the door. Padmé was throwing things into a bag. "Don't worry, this won't take long," she said.

"I just want to get there before dark," Anakin told her.

"We will," Padmé said as she went on packing.

Anakin looked around the room. "You still live at home," he stated.

"I move around so much, I've never had a place of my own. Official residences have no warmth. I feel good here. I feel at home," Padmé told him.

"I never had a real home. Home was always where my Mom was," Anakin told her and picked up a framed hologram. "Is this you?" he asked.

The hologram showed Padmé at age seven or eight surrounded by forty or fifty little green creatures. She is holding one in her arms. They are all smiling hugely.

Padmé walked over to see what he was indicating at. "That was when I went with the relief group to Shadda-Bi-Boran. Their sun was imploding, and the planet was dying. I was helping to relocate the children. See that little one I'm holding? His name was N'a-kee-tula, which means sweetheart. He was so full of life. All those kids were. They were never able to adapt... to live off their native planet," she told him, resuming her packing.

Anakin picked up another hologram. It shows Padmé at age ten or eleven. She is wearing official robes and standing between two robed legislators. Her expression is severe.

Padmé saw what he was looking at next. "My first day as an Apprentice Legislator. Notice the difference?" she explained and pulled a face making Anakin grin.

"I don't see much of a difference," Anakin told her.

Padmé turned away from her packing to look at him questionably. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"When we met, you played two roles in front of me, There was Padmé, the handmaiden and then there was Queen Amidala. It's two opposite sides of a coin. As a politician, while you are dealing with official business, you must wear the expressionless, impassive mask, lest you give away what you are thinking, but when it's just you and you're off duty, you're allowed to be yourself," Anakin explained.

"That's one way of putting it," Padmé agreed.

"Jedi have to use the coin effect too, you know," Anakin put in.

"Is that so?" Padmé asked.

Anakin set down the holos and turned to her. "It's maddening sometimes. Especially when some kung likes to purposely tick you off and you have to keep your cool," he said and shrugged. "Obi-Wan says that is something that I need to work on."

Padmé continued her packing "That must be frustrating," Padmé said. "I know that it gets that way for me from time to time," she told him.

"Sometimes in order to do our duty, we must remain impassive, no matter what," Anakin said.

Padmé smiled. "Is that the Jedi in you talking?" she asked, looking at him.

Anakin looked her in the eye. "What do you think?" he asked without any hint of sarcasm, just seriousness.

Luke and Leia looked at each other, seeing the tension between them, it was so thick, and they knew that others would most definitely see it. Sola already saw it.


	15. Naboo and Clones

**A/N:**_ I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to voice them. Check my profile if you're going to review.  
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_**Kamino **_

Obi-Wan was unable to believe the sight before his eyes as he gazed down at what had to be thousands of white armor clad soldiers running through drills and standing in formation. He found it hard to believe that Master Sifo-Dyas this army of clones commissioned. There was something rather unsettling about this entire thing. What was even more unsettling was that he was beginning to believe the story that Starkiller gave him, so far he, Luke, and Leia were dead on. Suddenly the things that they had said was occurring. _Anakin would say that it was a ploy, that Starkiller was behind this and was using the story he weaved to conceal his ulterior motives, _Obi_-_Wan reflected, _Too bad he refuses to shine his paranoia on Palpatine,_he thought grimly, having never trusted the current chancellor from the beginning.

"Magnificent, aren't they?" Lama Su asked, pride lacing his voice.

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "Impressive," he muttered, leaning forward, rubbing his beard in thought. _If Starkiller is telling the truth, then these minions will destroy us,_ he reflected, wondering if this was a ploy by the Sith, mentally noting to ask Starkiller about it later.

"If you will follow me, we will continue the tour," Lama Su said graciously.

Obi-Wan nodded his acceptance and followed the prime minister through the city. As they walked through a transparisteel hall, rooms below eye level were visible, filled with more clones going about their normal routines.

"We take great pride in our combat education and training programs. This group was created about five years ago," Lama Su told him.

"You mentioned growth acceleration..." Obi-Wan said, looking at him.

"Oh yes, it's essential. Otherwise, a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now, we can do it in half the time. Those items you saw on the parade ground were started ten years ago, when Sifo-Dyas first placed the order, and they're already mature," Lama Su informed him. As they passed through a door in the hallway, they saw even more clones, each silently eating. "You'll find they are totally obedient, taking any order without question. We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host," he continued.

Obi-Wan didn't like the idea of an army that did not ask question when it came to orders. To him it spelled doom and he knew exactly what Anakin would say about it, Anakin would be outraged by the the very idea and rightfully so. "Who was the original host?" he asked, keeping his opinions to himself.

"A bounty hunter called Jango Fett. We felt a Jedi would be the perfect choice, but Sifo-Dyas hand-picked Jango Fett himself," Lama Su informed him.

_Ha! There is the lie!_ Obi-Wan knew very well that any true Jedi did not hold lawless creatures such as bounty hunters in such high esteem. A true jedi would arrest one on sight. "Where is this bounty hunter now?" he asked instead.

"Oh, we keep him here," Lama Su answered him as the tour continued. "Apart from his pay, which is considerable, Fett demanded only one thing - an unaltered clone for himself. Curious, isn't it?" he continued.

"Unaltered?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"Pure genetic replication. No tampering with the structure to make it more docile... and no growth acceleration," Lama Su clarified.

Making a decision, Obi-Wan said, "I would very much like to meet this Jango Fett."

"I would be most happy to arrange it, for you," Taun We said from her post next to Lama Su before making a graceful exit to make the arrangements.

_**Naboo**_

Because Padmé wished to spend the morning with her family, it was decided that Luke and Leia would head up to the lake Varykino retreat that was owned by the Naberrie family to set up surveillance. Anakin claimed that he didn't want to take any chances when he suggested the idea and Padmé protested, making the point that she did not believe it to be necessary and that the retreat was isolated enough and extra surveillance was not needed. However, she had been outnumbered when both Luke and Leia agreed to Anakin's point, but not because they believed that he had a point, both twins got the impression that Anakin wished for some alone time with Padmé and they did not wish to be around anything that could prove discomforting to either of them, the air between both Anakin and Padmé was just too thick with unvoiced emotion.

The very moment that they were informed that the only way to the retreat was by gondola, Luke's nerves instantly became on edge. Despite the swimming lessons his father was insistent on giving him, the idea of being surrounded by water was almost frightening. Leia however, quite enjoyed the ride and once the gondola came to a stop at the stone steps to the lake retreat property owned by the Naberrie family, Leia gracefully accepted the care taker, Paddy Accu's hand and allowed him to help her out of the speeder, her poise as regal as ever. Luke didn't feel at ease and despite his quick Jedi reflexes, almost lost his balance as he stood up from his seat and the only thing that prevented him from flopping into the water backwards was the quick aid of Paddy Accu.

Embarrassed, Luke quickly muttered that he was from Tatooine to which Paddy nodded his understanding as he let go of the young Jedi and allowed him to collect himself. Once he had confidently reclaimed his bearings, Luke looked up at the house and his jaw nearly hit the floor. It was huge! He didn't even have to look at Leia to know that she was completely unfazed and had already began engaging Paddy in a conversation about the retreat, appraising it's beauty and architecture. It took a moment for him to realize that his sister was already moving inside the main house and quickly caught up with her just in time for a suggestion for a tour of the house and grounds.

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_**Naboo**_

It was after noon when Anakin and Padmé arrived at the lake house. Anakin quickly got out of the gondola first, wordlessly offering his hand to Padmé which she gracefully accepted as he helped her out of the gondola and onto the steps to the terrace. Padmé instantly began walking over to the balustrade and Anakin followed, leaning his arms on the balustrade as she gazed across the garden to the shimmering lake and mountains rising beyond but his eyes rested on her, taking in the way she looked in the sensual gown she wore wondering if she knew what she was doing to him and if it was on purpose and when she spoke, he had to force himself to pay attention to her words.

"When I was in Level Three, we used to come here for school retreat. See that island? We used to swim there every day. I love the water," she told him.

"I do too. I guess it comes from growing up on a desert planet," he agreed.

Aware that he was looking at her, Padmé continued. "...We used to lie on the sand and let the sun dry us... and try to guess the names of the birds singing," she said.

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything's soft... and smooth..." Anakin told her, wondering if she felt as soft as she looked and was unable to stop himself from reaching out and touching her bare arm and sensed her nervousness, but he couldn't remove his hand, she felt just as soft and smooth as she looked.

Padmé chose not to say anything to his touch or move away, and instead continued to talk about the island, hoping to distract him. "There was a very old man who lived on the island. He used to make glass out of sand - and vases and necklaces out of the glass. They were magical," she told him, chancing a look at him where their eyes locked and she found that she couldn't look away, his eyes were the same shade of blue as the lake before them.

"Everything here is magical," Anakin told her, her warm brown eyes becoming hypnotic.

"You could look into the glass and see the water. The way it ripples and moves. It looked so real... but it wasn't," she told him.

"Sometimes, when you believe something to be real, it becomes real," Anakin told her.

"I used to think if you looked too deeply into glass, you would lose yourself," she told him, aware of the way his gaze became more intense.

"I think it's true..." he said just before he leaned in to kiss her, unable to hold back any longer and was surprised when she didn't resist and for a moment leaned into the kiss. But the kiss was too short because as soon as she responded, she pulled away, coming to her senses.

"No, I shouldn't have done that," she told him.

He was disappointed and surprised by the emotions that had suddenly appeared, surprised by what they were. "I'm sorry. When I'm around you, my mind is no longer my own," he said, masking his disappointment and how he wanted more and forced himself to turn away, to look into the lake.

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_**Kamino**_

Obi-Wan followed Taun We to Jango Fett's apartment and stood still as the Kaminoan rang the chime As they wait, Obi-Wan noted the door lock entry mechanism. Then the door opened, and a ten-year-old boy looked at them. He was identical to the boys in the classroom.

"Boba, is your father here?" Taun We asked.

There is a brief pause before the boy replied, "Yep," he said.

"May we see him?" Taun We asked.

"Sure," Boba said and after another brief pause, he stepped aside and Obi-Wan followed Taun We through.

Obi-Wan looked around the room as he stood inside the apartment, keeping his thoughts to himself. Until he actually conversed with Jango Fett, he would save all opinions.

"Dad! Taun We's here!" Boba Fett called.

Jango Fett came in from the bedroom. He is wearing a jumpsuit and he was unshaven and mean looking, his face pitted with scars of old wounds. There are a couple of weird tattoos on his muscular forearms. He eyed Obi-Wan with suspicion.

Obi-Wan kept his face neutral, already suspicious of Jango Fett himself. _If Anakin was here, a fight would instantly break out_, he reflected, knowing his Padawan's penchant for taking offense at the simplest things such as a suspicious look.

"Jango, welcome back. Was your trip productive?" Taun We asked, seemingly oblivious to how both Obi-Wan and Jango sized each other up with Boba studying them.

"Fairly," was all Jango offered up as an answer.

"This is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He's come to check on our progress," Taun We introduced to Jango.

"That right?" Jango replied, his eyes fixed on Obi-Wan coldly.

_He was definitely not recruited by a Jedi_ , Obi-Wan reflected seeing the hostility in the bounty hunter's eyes. "Your clones are very impressive. You must be very proud," he said instead.

"I'm just a simple man, trying to make my way in the universe, Master Jedi," Jango said dismissively.

"Aren't we all?" Obi-Wan replied, letting a feigned agreement lace his voice. He then flickered his eyes to the half-open bedroom door, through which a couple of pieces of body armor could be seen on the floor.

Jango registered Obi-Wan's look and he subtly moved in front of him, blocking the view.

"Ever make your way as far into the interior as Coruscant?" Obi-Wan asked casually.

"Once or twice," Jango replied.

"Recently?" Obi-Wan asked.

Jango eyed Obi-Wan carefully, knowing that the Jedi would sense an outright lie. "Possibly..." he answered.

"Then you must know Master Sifo-Dyas?" Obi-Wan asked, knowing that this was the armor clad bounty hunter he saw lift off when the assassin trying to kill Senator Amidala died.

Jango turned to Boba and spoke in huttese, Obi-Wan, through Anakin's tutelage, only understood two words and Obi-Wan knew that Anakin would know exactly what Jango Fett had said had he been here.

Boba Fett moved to close the bedroom door. Jango Fett smiles thinly at Obi-Wan. "Master who?" he asked.

"Sifo-Dyas. Is he not the Jedi who hired you for this job?" Obi-Wan answered, knowing that he had the bounty hunter caught.

"Never heard of him," Jango replied calmly.

"Really," Obi-Wan replied thinly.

"I was recruited by a man called Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden," Jango told him.

_Tyranus, there are no Jedi with that name_ , Obi-Wan thought to himself. "No? I thought..." he began.

"Sifo-Dyas told us to expect him. And he showed up just when your Jedi Master said he would. We have kept the Jedi's involvement a secret until your arrival, just as your Master requested," Taun We explained, interrupting him.

"Curious..." Obi-Wan replied. _What Jedi Master would want to do this?_

"Do you like your army?" Jango asked, interrupting Obi-Wan's thoughts.

"I look forward to seeing them in action," Obi-Wan answered.

Jango grinned. "They'll do their job well, I'll guarantee that," he said.

_He knows they'll destroy us. Starkiller was telling the truth. _ "Thank you for your time, Jango," Obi-Wan said, not voicing his thoughts.

"Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi," Jango replied as Obi-Wan and Taun We left.

Boba eyed Jango as he appeared deep in thought. "What is it, Dad?" he asked.

"Pack your things. We're leaving," Jango told him.

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_**Coruscant**_

Starkiller landed the shuttle he had taken in the Jedi Temple hanger and was greeted by Master Yoda and Mace Windu as he exited , carrying an unconscious Shmi out of the shuttle. Both Jedi Master's showed shock on their faces at the obvious signs of Shmi's mistreatment. "Shmi Skywalker, I found her bound, beaten and starved on Tatooine. If she doesn't get immediate medical care, she will die," he explained.

"The best care the temple has to offer, she will get," Master Yoda agreed, turning to lead the way into the temple.

Mace kept pace with Starkiller as they followed. "Skywalker? Any relation to Padawan Anakin Skywalker?" he asked.

"I heard from the residents of Tatooine that she is his mother," Starkiller told him, shielding his thoughts.

If Mace knew he was lying, he didn't show it. "He petitioned to the council a month ago to return to Tatooine to check on her, said he was having dreams about her suffering," he told him.

"And you refused?" Starkiller asked.

"Dreams will go away in time, we did not think much of them but now, it seems as though they were premonitions," Mace replied.

"Had you known, what would be your reply?" Starkiller asked.

"Attachments are forbidden by the code, you are aware of that, Skywalker would not have been allowed to go, but the leave a woman to suffer is uncompassionate, another Jedi would have been sent," Mace answered.

Starkiller raised an eyebrow at him. "I somehow doubt that would go over too well," he said as they entered the healer's hall.

Stass Allie was prepared for their entrance as Master Yoda had commed her prior to their arrival and had a bed ready for Shmi whom Starkiller rested on it. "She seems to be in a healing coma," she observed, looking at Starkiller.

"I thought that it would be best to do so," Starkiller told her, stepping back, acutely aware of the eyes on him.

"Stay in the Temple until she awakes, she shall. Then where she goes, her decision it will be," Master Yoda decided.

"Master Yoda, may I speak to you?" Starkiller requested and eyed Mace. "In private," he added.

"Speak you may," Master Yoda agreed after eying him for a long moment, turning to leave with Starkiller following.

Mace watched them leave, wondering what Starkiller could not discuss in front of him and he wondered if Starkiller was his real name and why he was on Tatooine in the first place. Turning to Stass Allie, he said, "I want to be appraised of all her visitors," he told her, taking his leave when she nodded her agreement, focusing on her patient.

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_**Naboo**_

The Naberrie servants, Nandi and Teckla set down plates full of food in front of Padmé, Anakin, Luke and Leia around a round table. Anakin sat across from Padmé, Luke and Leia between them. It was the first time the four of them were in one space together since Luke and Leia had departed earlier that morning.

"This house is beautiful," Leia said, looking at Padmé.

Padmé smiled. "I always thought so. It is my favorite place to be. Every chance I get, which isn't often, I come here," she told her.

"I can see why. I feel the same way about some of the places on Alderaan," Leia told her. "The architecture here is so different," she said.

"I've been to Alderaan, it's a world that is different than Naboo and the same at the same time," Padmé told her.

Anakin quickly got board with the conversation as Leia and Padmé began appraising the lake retreat together. Not wanting to be left alone with his thoughts, which were all about Padmé,the sound of her voice, the feel of her skin, what she was wearing, the way she moved... Anakin mentally shook himself out of those thoughts and turned to Luke who seemed equally board. "Do you understand a word of this?" he asked, leaning towards Luke.

Luke looked at him, blinking from sheer boredom. "Not a single word," he answered.

"What do you understand?" Anakin asked.

"Philosophy, piloting, fixing things, fighting, battle tactics..." Luke began listing off.

Anakin grinned. "Pretty much the gist," he said. "It seems that we have some things in common or did Obi-Wan tell you about some of these things?" he said.

Luke blinked again. "Why would he tell me that?" he asked, remembering some of the things Obi-Wan had told him in his time.

"He wouldn't, it was just a joke," Anakin told him and the two instantly began a conversation ranging in all things Luke listed off. When they started debating on different philosophies, Leia and Padmé started to join in, each adding their own philosophies, which weren't all that different.

_**----------------------------------------------------------------- **_

Luke took a seat in the room that he and Leia had taken over to watch the footage from the security cameras they had put in place. He offered her a steaming cup of caf and some cookies he had retrieved from the kitchen which she calmly took. He turned to see what she was watching, seeing Anakin sitting down in a room writing something down in a datapad. It was late into the night and Padmé had already retired, by all rights they all should have.

"I wonder what he's writing," Leia said, sipping at the warm mug in her hands.

"Not sure, why?" Luke asked.

"Because he's been at it for an hour, non-stop," Leia told him.

Luke just shrugged. "It might just be a report," he said.

Leia looked at him. "Can you find out?" she asked.

Luke looked at her, knowing what she was asking. "I can ask, but that doesn't mean he'll answer," he told her and closed his eyes. " _Father..." _he called through the force.

"_What?" _came the instant reply, though sounding distant as though he were preoccupied.

"_Leia wants to know what you're writing, "_ Luke told him.

"_What do you mean 'what I'm writing'?" _

"_You've been writing for an hour and Leia's curious."_

There was an understanding through the Force followed by irritation. _"It isn't really much of anybody's business," _came the short reply before the bond was closed off.

Luke opened his eyes to see his sister's expectant stare. "He refused to answer," he told her.

Leia frowned. "Then it must be something interesting," she said and turned back to the monitor. "He's putting it away now," she said and Luke turned to it too, to see Anakin putting the datapad away in a bag before raising a hand to make a few small statuettes float in the air before becoming bored with the activity and getting up and leaving the room.

Luke saw the thought forming in Leia's mind before he shook his head. "Too risky," he told her, as she though of sneaking the datapad away.

"I still want to know what he was writing," Leia told him.

Luke smiled, he too wanted to know. "Wait until we have a better opportunity," he told her.

They continued to monitor things through the night and it was starting to get past midnight when they saw Anakin heading towards the kitchen for the third time during the night, he had yet to get to sleep.

"That's the third time in one night that he's eating," Leia commented as they watched Anakin pull out some food from the conservator and then go about to prepare it when he started to shake his head and began pulling everything out from the kitchen onto the counters.

"Is he sleep walking or something?" Luke asked, confused by this behavior.

"I don't know, but it looks like he's rearranging the entire kitchen," Leia told him in disbelief as they continued to watch him.

"Why?" Luke asked slowly.

Leia just shook her head. "It makes as much sense as it does to you," she told him.

"Well, I'm going to go lay down, see you in the morning," Luke told her, standing up to stretch before leaving.

"Good idea," Leia muttered, standing also to leave for her own room.

_**--------------------------------------------------------------- **_

_**Coruscant**_

Alone in Master Yoda's quarters, Master Yoda eyed Starkiller who stood by the window, gazing into the darkening skyline. "Why bring her here did you?" he asked.

"So that she wouldn't die," Starkiller told him.

"Why?" Master Yoda asked.

Starkiller turned to him, an incredulous look on his face. "Why?" he repeated. Before Master Yoda speak, he spoke. "Do not preach to me about attachments being forbidden," he said harshly.

"Outside the bounds of the Code are you?" Master Yoda asked.

"I didn't say that," Starkiller said. "We've already discussed attachments," he said with a sigh.

"Understand, you will help me," Master Yoda told him.

Starkiller moved away from the window to take a seat on one of the meditation cousins. "Can't you just meditate on it?" he asked.

"If mediate on it I could, why ask would I?" Master Yoda asked.

Starkiller sighed. "What do you want to know?" he asked.

"What is love?" Master Yoda asked curiously.

Starkiller blinked at that question. "You're joking right?" he asked.

"Joke I do not," Master Yoda told him indignantly.

"You can't explain love, you just feel it," Starkiller told him. "It's a feeling, a bond."

Master Yoda nodded sagely. "Felt it I have not," he told him.

It was at this moment that Starkiller felt sorry for the aging master, to never have felt love or know what it felt like to be loved, it must be a very lonely life. "The younglings love you," he told him, realizing it as he thought about what he knew of the old master.

Master Yoda looked at him, with a look that said he didn't understand on his face.

"Children have a better understanding than adults at times, especially the ones in the Temple," Starkiller told him.

"Truly wondrous the mind of a child it is," Master Yoda said.

"And the heart," Starkiller agreed, but as he thought of the younglings in the Temple, he grew melancholy, especially when he thought of his own children. He made a huge mistake, and because of it, children died, he didn't see his own children grow up. "I haven't slept for a few days, Master Yoda, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to retire," he said standing.

Master Yoda eyed him critically before nodding his approval. "Speak to Shmi Skywalker when awake she is, I will," he told him. Starkiller nodded before he left and Master Yoda watched him leave, lost in his own thoughts.


	16. Bounty Hunter and Naboo

**A/N:**_ I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to voice them. Check my profile if you're going to review. The end of this chapter I based off of this picture in the link: http://www . padawansguide . com/padme/flowered/padme _ flowered _ new6 . jpg just delete the spaces when you copy and paste it into your browser. Also, you guys might be happy to know that I practically have the next four of five(depending on how long I make Geonosis) written so you can expect a some speedy updates.  
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_**Naboo**_

Padmé awoke early in the morning, a little disoriented for a moment before she remembered where she was. She got out of bed and padded over to the vanity in the room and picked up her brush, brushing out her hair before she would get a start on the day. Without her handmaidens with her, she would have to dress much simpler, but she wasn't going into the senate so she reasoned that it was okay. She decided to let her hair fall in its natural curls and instead just pinned a few pieces back with a couple shimmering barrettes before picking out a simple gown from her closet. It was a shimmering azure blue gown with embroidery and glass jewels sewn into it. It was one of her favorites, reminding her of the time she would swim out to the island with his sister. The gown had a v-neck and had bell over sleeves with tight undersleeves reaching to her fingers, forming a pint over her middle fingers and had a gap in each shoulder between embroidered straps and the sleeves, leaving her shoulders bare. While it had a tight bodice, it had a free flowing skirt. After slipping on the soft satiny matching shoes, she left her bedroom and headed towards the family dining room and stopped short, seeing Anakin sitting in there alone, slumped in a chair, his back to her. It was then that she remembered the kiss they had shared and she suddenly felt self-conscious about what she had chosen to wear, worrying that it might give him the wrong idea. But before she could move to get changed Teckla came out of the kitchen and spotted her.

"Good morning Milady," Teckla greeted.

Anakin turned around and stood, pausing in his tracks, his eyes fixed on her. He didn't say anything.

Determined not to show how affected she was by the kiss, Padmé walked fully into the room to claim her seat. As she was about to pull out her own chair, Anakin sprung into action, gallantly pulling the chair out for her and once she took her seat pushed her in. "Thank you, Ani," she said, picking up the napkin resting in the place of a plate, unfolded it and neatly placed it in her lap. She looked up to see the annoyed look on Anakin's face and smiled, remembering how he asked her not to call him that, insisting that it made him sound like a little boy when he was not a little boy. So she used it, in defense against what was happening between them.

Anakin continued to watch her silently as he retook his seat. He didn't notice or hear Teckla whisper something to Padmé, his attention was drawn elsewhere. The gown she chose to wear was even more sensual than the one from the day before. Form fitting and practically leaving nothing to the imagination even though it was moderately modest. His eyes seemed to be drawn to the neckline where he received a small glimpse to her breasts and then to her bare shoulders. He wondered if she even knew what she was doing to him but he didn't care. He had to fight against his urge to leap across the table, take her into his arms and... he forced himself off that train of thought before it went any further . It would only lead to trouble.

"Anakin, did you hear me?"

Anakin snapped his attention to Padmé's face. _ Force she so beautiful!_ He halted those thoughts before they could form. "Sorry?" he managed to croak out.

"Are you alright?" Padmé asked.

"I didn't sleep well," Anakin told her and accepted the glass of shuura juice that was handed to him before taking a large gulp.

Padmé watched him. "How many nights does this make?" she asked concerned.

"I've lost count," Anakin admitted, forcing himself to focus on her face.

At this point Luke and Leia entered the room and paused, seeing the tension in Anakin's body language before taking note of what Padmé had chosen to wear. Continuing their course they each took their seats accepting the food and drinks offered to them.

"Why aren't you sleeping, Anakin?" Padmé persisted.

Anakin shifted in his seat. "I'd rather not discuss it," he told her before cutting into his plate.

"I had a rather restive five hours," Luke said taking a sip of juice, liking the taste. "What kind of juice is this?" he asked.

"It's suura," Padmé told him, her eyes refocusing on Anakin.

"My aunt used to make some pretty good juice out of pallies," Luke commented.

Anakin looked at him, grateful for the attempt to change the subject. "So does my mother," he told him.

"What is a pallie?" Leia asked, looking at her brother.

"It's a fruit native to Tatooine," both Anakin and Luke said before they looked at each other and shrugged when Padmé and Leia rose their eyebrows.

Padmé calmly cut into her plate. "Now that everyone is here, I would like to know who rearranged my mother's kitchen last night," she said. She looked up to see Luke and Leia look at Anakin who shifted in his seat.

"I needed something to do," Anakin told her. "Besides that system didn't work."

Padmé gave him a disbelieving look. "You don't go into someone's home and start to rearrange things," she told him.

Anakin shrugged in response. "I rearrange things all the time," he told her.

Padmé scowled at him. "Please refrain yourself from doing it," she said tightly.

Anakin just shrugged in reply and continued to eat. Trying to keep his eyes off of her.

Padmé, aware of the way he was looking at her, choose to say nothing about it despite the fact that it both pleased and unnerved her at the same time. Even when Anakin finished eating and pushed his plate away and stood.

"If you do not need anything else, Milady, I will retreat to get cleaned up," Anakin told her, forcing himself to look away and leave the room before anyone could speak.

"That was rather abrupt," Leia commented.

Luke shrugged. "So, what are your plans for the day?" he asked.

"I was thinking about going for a swim," Padmé answered.

Luke frowned at the idea. "I'll pass," he said.

Leia looked at him and thought of the perfect opportunity to speak to him alone. "Me too," she agreed and looked at Padmé. "You should ask Anakin to join you," she suggested.

Padmé looked thoughtful for a moment. On one level being alone with him might be a little difficult but on another it pleased her. He might get the wrong idea but she found that she didn't care at the moment, this whole thing could be cleared up quickly, Anakin would see reason. "I'll do that," she agreed.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Anakin retreated to the guest room he was assigned to and began to pace. "Get a grip, she's just a girl – woman, nothing more," he told himself even if he didn't believe it. He had known Padmé since he was a boy, she was more than the others he had met over the years, she was his friend. An incredibly beautiful friend. "Focus on duty, duty and pleasure should not mix," he reminded himself strictly. If there was one thing he never did, it was mix duty and pleasure together. He only perused pleasurable activities when he was on leave from duty between missions. But right now he was at an impasse. His duty was to protect Padmé from assassins, Padmé his friend, Padmé, who he was starting to grow very attracted to. He wasn't innocent, not in any way, he had been with women before, but none as beautiful, cultured, refined, and as highly regarded as Padmé Amidala. He a mere Jedi Padawan, did not stand a chance, even if they were friends. So he deiced to stick to duty.

As soon as he decided this, there was a knocked on the door. "Come in," he said.

It was Padmé. "I'm going for a swim in an hour, do you want to join me?" she asked.

_Duty can shove it right now!_ The thought of seeing Padmé in her swimsuit and dripping wet was too irresistible. "As you wish," Anakin told her, his eyes locked on her.

Padmé smiled. "I'll see you in an hour then," She told him before leaving.

When she was gone, Anakin kicked himself. He had never been this conflicted.

------------------------------------------------

_**Kamino**_

Obi-Wan stood with Taun We just inside the open door leading to the landing platform.

"Tell your Council the first battalions are ready. And remind them that if they need more troops, we will need time to grow them," Lama Su told him.

"I won't forget. And thank you," Obi-Wan assured him.

"Thank you," Taun we replied before she and Lama Su left, leaving Obi-Wan alone to walk to his starfighter.

Obi-Wan came out from the tower and into the driving ran. The door closed behind him. He pulls his robe around him and stood braced against the gale. Obi-Wan glanced back toward the closed door, to confirm that Lama Su and Taun We had left.

Below, a huge wave crashed against the stilts. Spray flew high and whips across the platform to where Obi-Wan was standing. He walked over to his Starfighter, looked to see if anyone was watching, then addresses Arfour.

"Arfour..." he started.

The R4-P17, Obi-Wan's Astro-Droid, who was still sitting on in the Starfighter, switched on and beeped.

"Arfour, relay this, 'scramble code five,' to Courscant: care of 'the old folks home.'" Obi-Wan commanded.

Arfour beeped and whistled. The panels lit up inside the cockpit. A transmitter dish emerged from the top of the Starfighter and the message was transmitted.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Master Yoda sat with Mace Windu and Starkiller. between the three Jedi, a hologram

of Obi-Wan spoke.

"I have successfully made contact with the Prime Minister of Kamino. They are using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett to create a clone army. I have a strong feeling that this bounty hunter is the assassin we're looking for," the message began.

"Do you think these cloners are involved in the plot to assassinate Senator Amidala?" Mace asked.

"No, Master. There appears to be no motive," Obi-Wan replied.

"Do not assume anything, Obi-Wan. Clear, your mind must be if you are to discover the real villains behind the plot," Master Yoda told him.

"Yes, Master. They say a Master Sifo-Dyas placed the order for a clone army at the request of the Senate almost ten years ago. I was under the impression he was killed before that. Did the Council ever authorize the creation of a clone army?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No. Whoever placed that order did not have the authorization of the Jedi Council," Mace told him.

"Into custody, take this Jango Fett. Bring him here. Question him, we will," Master Yoda told him.

"Yes, Master. I will report back when I have him," Obi-Wan replied before the transmission ended.

"Blind we are, if creation of this clone army we could not see," Master Yoda said.

"I think it is time to inform the Senate that our ability to use the Force has diminished," Mace told him.

"No," Starkiller told him and Mace merely silently gave him a brief sharp look. "That would be a bad move," he finished.

"Only the Dark Lords of the Sith know of our weakness. If informed the Senate is, multiply our adversaries will," Master Yoda said in agreement.

---------------------------------------------------------

_**Kamino**_

Obi-Wan entered the Fett's apartment in to find the it in complete disorder. The bedroom door was wide open - clear signs of hurried departure. All of the Fett' personal belongings were gone.

Obi-Wan went to an ultra-thin computer screen. He punched up and onscreen picture of Jango Fett and Boba Fett unhitching the lines securing their ship on the landing platform. Jango Fett was wearing his armor and rocket pack. Obi-Wan quickly left the room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jango Fett's ship, _Slave I_, rest on the landing platform. Jango and Boba Fett are preparing to board when Obi-Wan rushed through the tower door and runs toward the ship.

"Dad!! Look!" Boba called.

Jango turned sharply to see Obi-Wan charging out of the tower toward him. As he ran, Obi-Wan drew his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it.

Jango drew his blaster and fired at the charging Jedi.

Obi-Wan deflected the blast and swungat Jango.

"Boba, get on board!" Jango yelled and Boba followed the order.

The bounty hunter rocketed up and over Obi-Wan, landing on the top of a nearby tower. Jango fired down at Obi-Wan. The Jedi deflected the shots back, but Jango evaded them. Then he fired an explosive sending Obi-Wan diving out of the way.

In the cockpit of S_lave I_, Boba grabbed the controls of a gun and swung it to aim at Obi-Wan, and fired.

The explosion of the ship's blasts threw Obi-Wan to the ground. His lightsaber skidacross the wet surface of the landing platform. Jango dropped from the tower landing in front of Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan rose and charged toward Janggo.

In the cockpit Boba watched as outside, Obi-Wan and Jango grappled and fought, punching, kicking, grabbing hold, and throwing each other around. Obi-Wan grabbed Jango tightly, and Jango rocketed up into the air and kicked Obi-Wan loose. Obi-Wan crashed to the deck and slid toward the edge. He grappled desperately for a handhold on the slick surface. Obi-Wan reached out for his lightsaber, using the Force to bring it to him, but Jango fired a thin wire from his wristpack. It wrapped around Obi-Wan's wrists before he could retrieve the lightsaber.

Jango rocketed into the air, dragging Obi-Wan behind him along the platform's surface. As Obi-Wan slid toward some columns he managed to maneuver himself into a roll avoiding a collision by leveraging the wire against the structure and pulled himself to his feet. Obi-Wan pulled with all his weight against the momentum of the wire, causing Jango to drop and crash into the ground. Jango's rocketpack broke free from his back and exploded.

Still connected by the wire, Obi-Wan charged at Jango kicking him over the platform edge. Jango slid pulling Obi-Wan with him. Locked together, Obi-Wan and Jango plummet down towards the raging ocean. At the last moment, Jango saw the edge and dug his forearm claws into the surface. Obi-Wan slid past him as Jango finally ejected the wire free from his wrist. Obi-Wan couldn'tstop the speed of his slide and shot off the edge, falling...

Obi-Wan used the Force and caused the wire to wrap around a pole, stopping his descent. He swung and dropped onto a small service platform just above the waves. He hauled himself to his feet. When Jango looked down, the Jedi had disappeared. Jango used his forearm claws to climb back to the landing platform and ran toward his ship.

In the cockpit of _Slave I_ Boba settled into the copilot's seat. He punched buttons and the engines roared to life.

Obi-Wan came running out onto the landing platform and spotted his lightsaber laying on the ground. This time, he retrieved it successfully and ignited it just as _Slave I_'s engines roared. Realizing the ship was about to take off, Obi-Wan took a small tracking device from his belt and threw in onto the hull of the ship.

_Slave I_ lifted off from the platform and headed up into the lowering sky and disappeared. Lightning flashed, Rain lashed the tower and streamed across the surface of the platform where Obi-Wan stood, watching.

----------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------

_**Naboo**_

Luke and Leia watched as Anakin and Padmé splashed each other in the water before Padmé took off, laughing, deeper into the lake towards an island in the distance, Anakin chasing after her with powerful strokes.

"Something is definitely going on with them," Leia said. "Between yesterday morning and this morning something changed."

Luke shrugged. "He did say that they fell in love here," he said.

"I never pictured him to be so..." Leia began.

"Charismatic, nice..." Luke filled in.

"Charming," Leia added. "We know him as the complete opposite."

Luke shrugged. "The dark side does that I guess," he said and looked around. "Want to find out what he was writing now?" he asked.

Leia looked at him and smiled. "Absolutely," she said and they turned around and sneaked into Anakin room and started to search around the room to find the datapad. Which Leia found and activated it, however she could not find anything written in basic. "I wish we hade Threepio with us now," she said.

"Why?" Luke asked.

Leia handed him the datapad.

"This isn't huttese," he told her and scrolled around, accidentally accessing Anakin's holonet inbox finding all sorts of messages. "There are messages in here in basic and there are some in huttese but it looks coded, some of the words are in that other language," he told her and handed the datapad over to Leia who scrolled through the messages in basic but only focusing in on the ones between Anakin and Padmé which were saved in a folder and dated as far back as ten years.

"They've known each other for at least ten years," Leia told him, surprised at that fact. "They've been friends for a long time."

"No wonder she meant enough to him for him to go against everything he believed," Luke said, remembering what their father told them about why he fell.

Leia looked at him briefly. "So it seems," she said absently, choosing to read some of the messages.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------

It was about two hours later when Anakin and Padmé returned to the villa, soaking wet and each holding a keepsake that the old man on the island gave them. For Padmé it was a bracelet and For Anakin it was a glass orb in multiple colors with an etching deep inside it. Luke and Leia were no where to be found and after speaking to Paddy, Padmé found out that they had gone into the near by village to explore. Then Anakin's stomach growled. And Padmé had an idea.

"I'd like to go out onto the hill by the waterfalls and see the shaaks. We could have a picnic," she said to Anakin.

"That sounds like a plan," Anakin agreed.

"Let me get changed and have the cook prepare a basket," Padmé told him walking away.

Anakin watched her leave, the water on her body glistening, her swim suit having left nothing to the imagination. He thanked the fact that Jedi standard swim trunks were baggy for being able to hide how turned on he was, and how he struggled to keep himself from doing something inappropriate like kiss her again or, as he wanted, more. He turned around and walked to his room and got changed.

Not long afterwards Anakin and Padmé walked out to the hilly meadow and found a spot over looking the waterfalls. Anakin laid out the blanket that had been provided and set down the basket before Padmé knelt down and took a seat. At a distance, a herd of Shaaks grazed contentedly. Beyond was the shimmering expanse of the lake. Several other lakes stretched to the horizon. The warm air was full of little floating puffballs.

"I love it here," Padmé told him. "It's so peaceful in a contrast the the hustle of being Queen and then to being a Senator on Coruscant," she said.

"Do you ever have any free time to yourself where you can abandon the public role you play in politics?" Anakin asked.

"Sometimes," Padmé told him. "But they are few and far between, it is difficult to keep thing to myself sometimes," she confided.

"So you never are with anyone unless the public knows?" Anakin asked.

"I wouldn't say that..." Padmé told him. "I've managed to keep quite a few things to myself,"

"Like what?" Anakin prompted.

"Like a few dates," she told him. "What about you? Do you ever have any moments to yourself?" she asked.

"Between missions, yes," Anakin told her. "I didn't know you dated, anyone special right now?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Padmé looked at him strangely. "No, I've been to busy trying to stop the military creation act," she told him and could have sworn she saw relief in his eyes before it was gone. "Why do you ask?" she asked.

"I didn't mean to," Anakin quickly told her. "I was just following the conversation, I didn't even think about what I was about to say."

"To tell the truth I haven't put myself out there for a while. My sister keeps trying to set me up with someone but it never works out," she told him.

"You don't like them?" he asked.

"No, they never seem to support the idea of my continuing my time as Senator," Padmé laughed.

"Is there ever anyone that you are interested in?" Anakin prompted, deep down wishing that she said him.

Padmé laughed. "Why are you asking me this? Are you interested?"

Anakin's eyes widened. "Is that an invitation?" he asked surprised.

Padmé laughed some more. "What about your code?" she asked.

"The code doesn't prevent everything, just attachments," Anakin told her defensively. "I'm not..." he began indignantly.

Padmé interrupted him. "I'm sorry, it's just this whole conversion seems strange to me," she told him.

"I'll tell you about my interest if you tell me yours," Anakin told her challengingly, half hoping she'd accept but not expecting her to.

Padmé seemed a little self conscious at the challenge. "I don't know..." she said.

"Sure you do... you just don't want to tell me," Anakin said.

"Are you going to use one of your Jedi mind tricks on me?" Padmé asked.

Anakin laughed. "They only work on the weak-minded. You are anything but weak-minded," he assured her.

He was teasing her and she didn't like it. "All right... I met him when I was twelve. His name was Palo. We were both in the Legislative Youth Program. He was a few years older then I... very cute... dark curly hair... dreamy eyes," she told him and saw his mood change, a hint of sullenness and jealously briefly showing.

"All right, I get the picture... whatever happened to him?" Anakin asked.

"I went into public service. He went on to become an artist," Padmé answered.

"Maybe he was the smart one," Anakin told her, changing the topic.

"You really don't like politicians, do you?" Padmé asked pointedly.

"I like two or three, but I'm not really sure about one of them," Anakin told her and smiled. "I don't think the system works," he told her, taking the smile off his face.

"How would you have it work?" Padmé asked.

"We need a system where the politicians sit down and discuss the problem, agree what's in the best interests of all the people, and then do it," Anakin told her.

"That is exactly what we do. The trouble is that people don't always agree. In fact, they hardly ever do," Padmé told him.

"Then they should be made to," Anakin told her seriously.

"By whom? Who's going to make them?" Padmé demanded.

"I don't know. Someone," Anakin said.

"You?" she challenged.

"Of course not me," Anakin told her, not liking that idea.

"But someone," Padmé clarified

"Someone wise," Anakin amended.

"That sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me," Padmé told him pointedly.

A mischievous little grin creeps across Anakin's face face. "Well, if it works..." he said.

Padmé stared at him in disbelief. He looked back at her, straight faced, but he couldn't hold back a smile. "You're making fun of me!" she accused.

"Oh no, I'd be much too frightened to tease a Senator," Anakin mocked.

""You're so bad!" she told him and picked up a piece of fruit and threw it at him. He caught it and she threw two more pieces of fruit, and he caught them.

"You're always so serious," he countered.

"I'm so serious?!" she demanded and watched as he started to juggle the fruit. She laughed and threw more fruit at him and he managed to juggle them too until there were too many and he lost control and ducked, letting the food fall on his head, both of them laughing.

Padmé caught the way the light from the sun danced on the glass on the bracelet she was wearing and held it up for Anakin to see. "See how the light makes the glass ripple like the water of the lake," she said.

Anakin reached out and grasped her fingers pulling her closer to get a better look at the rippling glass. "You're right, it is magical, I can see the water," he said, clasping his other hand over her hand, holding between both of his, feeling the skin of her hand and he looked her in the eye. "Your hands are so soft," he whispered.

Padmé was unable to look away, seeing what he was thinking through his eyes and it wasn't as uncomfortable as before and that scared her a little. She remembered the way he looked in just his swim trunks and she forced herself to look away.


	17. Emergancy Power

Luke and Leia watched through electro binoculars from behind a rock far away as Anakin stood in front of a shaak, yelling at it and waving his arms. Padmé started laughing as Anakin ran in circles,

chased by the shaak.

"What is he trying to do?" Luke asked.

"I've heard of animal taming or fighting, it's basically where you entice a large animal to chase after you and you had somehow manged to get on it's back and stay on it as he tries to get you off of it's back," Leia explained. "It's highly popular on several planets," she told him.

"It looks like something Han would do," Luke commented which earned him a strange look from Leia.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The shaak crossed in front of Padmé, with Anakin riding it, facing the shaak's tail. Anakin attempted to stand on the galloping shaak's back, but the shaak bucked, and Anakin lost his balance and fell off. Padmé laughed even harder but then grew concerned when Anakin remained laying still face down. Concerned, she jumped up and ran towards Anakin's still form.

"Ani, Ani! Are you all right?" she called concerned and knelt down next to him and turned him over to find that he was laughing. "You....!" she called, angry for that trick, she took a swing at him, hitting him in the chest and took another but he caught her arm and her other one. In her struggle to get free they each tumbled over rolling in the grass until she was on top of him, straddling his hips. She had somehow managed to grab his wrists instead and now held them over his head. "Do you surrender?" she demanded in her signature Amidala tone.

Anakin stared at her, unable to hep being turned on by the position they found themselves in. "Absolutely, Milady," he answered, his voice having taken on a heavier note to it.

It was then than Padmé became aware of their position and slowly moved off of him, not hearing the groan he kept hidden as she moved. "I think we should head back inside," she said.

Anakin remained still. "I'll be up in a minute," he told her, not fully comfortable with getting up at the moment.

Padmé, puzzled for a moment, moved to clean up their picnic, trying to wrap her mind around what was happening between them.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Alone on the hill, Anakin was left to his thoughts. He had never been so befuddled by a woman before. He never paused in thought before he just did what he wanted to do. He just didn't know what he wanted. He knew that he was talking about his friend and if he went to that place, then there would be no turning back. If she wanted it as well and they did go there, their friendship would never be the same again. Could he stand that? The answer to his question was very simple. He wanted her. He wanted more than her body too. He wanted all or nothing. It was with that revelation that he stood and walked back to the villa.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The setting sun touched the mountain peaks. The lake glowed in the rose-tinted light. Floating lamps gleamed softly like jewels at the lodge. Luke and Leia had returned and decided to retire early or so they claimed, leaving Anakin and Padmé to dine alone. Nandi placed dessert in front of Padmé. Teckla did the same for Anakin. The dessert was some kind of fruit.

"And when I got to them, we went into... aggressive negotiations," Anakin continued his story that he was telling. He glanced at Teckla, "Thank you," he said and the maid smiled and nodded.

"'Aggressive negotiations,' what's that?" Padmé asked.

"Uh, well, negotiations with a lightsaber," Anakin explained.

Padmé laughed. "Oh," she said. She picked up her fork and went to spear a piece, but it moved. She frowned and tried again - the fruit moved. She looks up at Anakin to see that his eyes are on his plate. "You did that?" she accused.

Anakin looked up - wide-eyed innocence. "What?" he asked.

Padmé scowled at him and jabbed at the fruit – Anakin subtly moves his hand and it lift up from the plate and hovered in front of her. "That! Now stop it!" she said. And then it danced for a little bit making her laugh and Anakin joined her. She reached out her hand for the fruit but it looped. "Anakin!!" she growled.

Anakin moved his fingers. The fruit flew into his hand. "If Master Obi-Wan caught me doing this, he'd be very grumpy," he told her and cut the fruit into several pieces, sending one back to Padmé who bit it in mid air. He smiled and so did she as he sent the rest back to her, feeding her the fruit in mid air.

-------------------------------------------------------------

A fire blazed in the open hearth. Padmé and Anakin sat in front of it, gazing into the flames. Padmé looked up into his eyes. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?" she asked.

Anakin didn't say anything at first, having practiced this speech numerous times over in his head. Momentarily forgetting the words as he gazed into her eyes, the firelight casting a sensual glow on her, he leaned in to kiss her.

Padmé back away a little. "Anakin, no," she said.

_Its now or never._ Anakin took a deep breath and began. "From the moment I met you, all those years ago, a day hasn't gone by when I haven't thought of you. And now that I'm with you again, I'm in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you makes my stomach turn over - my mouth goes dry. I feel dizzy. I can't breathe. I'm haunted by the kiss you should never have given me. My heart is beating, hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me. What can I do? I will do anything you ask..."

Silence. The logs flamed in the hearth. Padmé met his eye, then looked away. His words had clearly affected her but she didn't say anything.

"If you are suffering as much as I am, tell me," Anakin persisted.

"...I can't. We can't. It's just not possible," Padmé told him.

"Anything's possible. Padmé, please listen..." Anakin persisted.

Padmé stood up to stand just at the hearth. "You listen. We live in a real world. Come back to it. You're studying to become a Jedi Knight. I'm a Senator. If you follow your thoughts through to conclusion, they will take us to a place we cannot go... regardless of the way we feel about each other," she told him.

"Then you do feel something!" Anakin said also standing, encouraged by it.

"Jedi aren't allowed to marry. You'd be expelled from the Order. I will not let you give up your future for me," Padmé told him realistically.

"You're asking me to be rational. That is something I know I cannot do. Believe me, I wish I could wish my feelings away... but I can't," Anakin told her.

"I am not going to give in to this. I have more important things to do than fall in love," Padmé told him insistently.

There was silence again as they stared at the fire Anakin thought real hard. "It wouldn't have to be that way... we could keep it a secret," he suggested.

"Then we'd be living a lie - one we couldn't keep up even if we wanted to. Mt sister saw it. So did my mother. I couldn't do that. Could you, Anakin? Could you live like that?" Padmé replied, seeing the reality behind it.

Anakin was silent for a moment. He sighed. _All or nothing. "_No. You're right. It would destroy us," he said glancing at her before he left the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Luke and Leia watched the scene take place on the monitors in the security hub. "That had to have hurt," Luke commented.

Leia nodded.

"He poured his heart out to her and she turned him down," Luke continued.

"She's thinking rationally, Luke, doing so and struggling against your feelings isn't as easy as it looks," Leia told him.

Luke looked at her, knowing that even if she didn't voice it, she missed Han terribly. "I guess," he said and turned back to the monitor.

---------------------------------------------------------------

_**Exteiror space above Geonosis**_

The red planet of Geonosis was circled by a large asteroid field that formed rings. _Slave I_ appeared, heading toward it. Obi-Wan's Starfighter, attached to the hyperspace transport ring, appeared in space. The Starfighter disengaged from the ring and followed _Slave I_

In the cockpit of _Slave I,_ Jango grinned at Boba. "Nearly there, son," he said.

A small blip shows up on the ship's scan screen.

"Dad! I think we're being tracked... Look at the scan screen! Isn't that a cloaking shadow?" Boba said and checked the scan screen and revealed a small tracking device on the outer hull.

"He must have put a homing device on our hull during the fight... We'll fix it! Hang on, son! We'll move into the asteroid field. He won't be able to follow us there. If he does, we'll leave him a couple of surprises," Jango said and he pushed some buttons and the spot where the device was

disappeared. Jango guided his ship into the asteroid field. Obi-Wan stopped his ship.

In Obi-Wan's cockpit Obi-Wan looked down at the signal. "That's interesting, Arfour. They seem to have discovered the tracker. Shut down... Shape scan their last coordinates," he commanded.

In the cockpit of _Slave I_ Jango piloted his ship through the asteroids.

"He's gone," Boba announced.

"He must have gone on toward the surface," Jango said.

Boba then saw Obi-Wan on the screen. "Look, Dad! He's back!" he said.

"Hang on!" Jango said and released a charge which drifts toward Obi-Wan.

As the charge approaches Obi-Wan's Starfighter, Arfour beeps. "Whoa! Sonic charges... Stand by," Obi-Wan said.

_Slave I_ went into a power-climb to avoid an asteroid.

"Dad! Watch out!" Boba called.

"Stay calm, son. We'll be fine. That Jedi won't be able to follow us through this," Jango said confidantly.

Obi-Wan's ship dove into the asteroid belt after them.

"There he is!" Boba called.

"He doesn't seem to be able to take a hint," Jango said and flew down a narrow tunnel in one of the larger asteroids.

"Watch out!" Boba called.

Obi-Wan passed over the asteroid and Jango emerged, chasing after him.

Get him, Dad! Get him! Fire!" Boba called.

Jango fired at the Jedi Starfighter.

The ships flipped, rolled, and turned at incredible speed, dodging, weaving and firing. Nearby asteroids tumbled from near misses.

Obi-Wan relied on lessons that he received from Anakin to keep himself alive. "Oh, blast! This is why I hate flying," he muttered as bits flew off his fighter as one of _Slave I_'s missiles got through.

Jango continued to bombard the Jedi Starfighter with laser fire. One bold stroked Obi-Wan's ship causing a small explosion.

"You got him!" Boba called excitedly.

"We'll just have to finish him," Jango said and he pushed buttons to open an outer hull door and

released a guided aerial torpedo. The torpedo closely followed Obi-Wan's Starfighter.

Obi-Wan's skill was being pushed to the limit as he threw the ship from side to side, avoiding great rocks and the torpedo. Then a huge asteroid tumbled across his path. There seemed to be no way he could avoid it. "Arfour, prepare to jettison the spare parts canisters. Release them now!" Obi-Wan commanded.

In the cockpit of _Slave I_, Jango and Boba saw a huge explosion as Obi-Wan's ship appeared to smash into the asteroid.

"Got him! Yeahhhhh!" Boba yelled triumphantly.

Jango smiled. "We won't see him again," he said and Boba laughed as they emerged from the asteroid belt and headed down toward the surface of Geoosis.

Meanwhile an asteroid turned over with Obi-Wan's starfighter attacked to it, intact. After making sure that he would not be noticed, Obi-Wan disengaged from the asteroid and followed to the surface.

"Well, Arfour, I think we've waited long enough... Follow his last known trajectory," Obi-Wan said to his asteromech droid.

As they skimmed through the surface. Obi-Wan looked out toward Geonosis and saw in the distance a large fleet of Trade Federation ships hidden among the asteroids.

"There's an unusual concentration of Federation ships over there, Arfour. We'd better stay clear," Obi-Wan muttered.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Coruscant**_

"The Commerce Guilds are preparing for war... there can be no doubt of that," Senator Bail Organa said in Chancellor Palpation's office.

"Count Dooku must have made a treaty with them," Palpatine said.

"We must stop them before they're ready," Bail told him.

"Exsueeze me, yousa honorable Supreme Chancellor, Sir. Maybe dissen Jedi stoppen the rebel army," Jar Jar suggested.

Palpatine turned to Master Yoda who stood with Starkiller and Mace window. "Master Yoda, how many Jedi are available to go to Geonosis?" he asked.

"Throughout the galaxy, thousands of Jedi there are. To send on a special mission, only two hundred are available," Master Yoda answered.

"With all due respect for the Jedi Order, that doesn't sound like enough," Bail Organa said to the Jedi.

"Through negotiation the Jedi maintains peace. To start a war, we do not intend," Master Yoda insisted.

"The debate is over! Now we need that clone army..." Senator Ask Aak said.

Bail turned to him. "Unfortunately, the debate is not over. The Senate will never approve the use of the clones before the separatists attack," he told him.

"This is a crisis! The Senate must vote the Chancellor emergency powers! He could then approve the use of the clones," Mas Amedda said calmly.

"But what Senator would have the courage to propose such a radical amendment?" Palpatine asked mildly.

Ma Amedda sighed. "If only Senator Amidala were here,"

Starkiller narrowed his eyes at him but held his tongue. How day they suggest that Padmé would make the vote when she fought against it.

Jar Jar looked down momentarily before stepping forward from the back of the group. "Mesa mosto Supreme Chancellor... Mesa gusto pallos. Mesa proud to proposing the motion to give yousa

Honor emergency powers," he said much to the Jedi's shock and Starkiller was angry for Jar Jar's obvious manipulation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Geonosis**_

Obi-Wan's ship skimmed across the top of a small mesa along the edge of a rocky ridge. He maneuvered under a rock overhang and landed. He got out of the Fighter and walked onto the mesa. The wind whipped at him. He looked around. Geonosis was a red rock planet, featureless apart from buttes and mesas, and occasional tall stalagmites that stood out dramatically on the arid plains. The night was quiet, except for an occasional weird cry. Obi-Wan checked his bearings, then headed away.

Obi-Wan climbed a steep, narrow trail. Suddenly he heard a cry close by. Obi-Wan stumbled slightly. His foot slipped on the edge, sending a stream of pebbles skittering into the darkness and he listened. Silence. He drew his lightsaber but did not ignite it. He set off again and worked his way around a narrow corner, to confront a crouching massiff with slavering fangs! The beast leaped at him, and Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber as the massiff knocked him on his back. Its jaws opened wide. Obi-Wan stabbed the creature, threw it off of him, and jumped up.

A second massiff jumped from behind. Obi-Wan swung around and cut it in half. The massiff flew over the cliff, howling. It plummeted to its death hundreds of feet below.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan arrived at the head of the trail. Far below, a flat plain stretched into the distance. He stopped, peering into the darkness, where strange shapes loomed indistinctly.

Obi-Wan took a pair of electronic binoculars from his belt and put them to his eyes. He saw a cluster of great towers like fantastic stalagmites rise from the plain below. He looked through the binoculars, and saw a line of Battle Starships come into view. Obi-Wan touched the viewfinder. Between fifty and a hundred Federation Starships in neat rows appeared. Some were on platforms that were carrying the Starships down to an underground facility. Other platforms were rising to the surface. They carried thousands of battle droids that stepped off and filed into waiting ships. A fully loaded Starship took off. Obi-Wan swung the binoculars upward, to see more Trade Federation Starships.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Light grew on the clustering tower of fantastic stalagmites. Obi-Wan snuck up to the main one. He climbed up the side of the tower to a small window-like opening. Obi-Wan looked around quickly, then snuck inside.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan arrived at a vast expanse in the stalagmite-ridden interior. Immense pillars, soaring Gaudi-Gothic arches, vaulted roofs. The huge space was deserted – completely silent. He started to cross the square when he heard voices, and he darted behind a pillar as Poggle the Lesser, his aide, Sun Fac, Count Dooku and and Nute Gunray approached, closely followed by Passel Argente and Wat Tambor. Obi-Wan flattened himself against the pillar, barely breathing as they passed by.

"Now, we must persuade the Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty," Dooku said.

"What about the Senator from Naboo? Is she dead yet? I'm not signing your treaty until I have her head on my desk," Nute Gunrary demanded.

"I am a man of my word, Viceroy,"" Dooku said turning to him.

"With these new Battle Droids we've built for you, Viceroy, you'll have the finest army in the galaxy," Poggle said as they moved out of earshot.

Obi-Wan peered around the pillar to see them going through an archway on the far side of the courtyard. There was a flight of stairs beside it, and, Obi-Wan moved silently over to the stairs. He snuck up them, arriving at a narrow gothic archway. He looked down through it.

Poggle the Lesser and his two aids were at one end of a large round conference table.

"Now is the time, my friends. This is the moment when you have to decide between the Republic or the

Confederacy of Independent Systems," Dooku said at the head of the table with Jango Fett by his chair.

In addition to the original group, there are also three oppostion Senators: Po Nudo, Tessek, and Toonbuck Toora and a commerce guild dignitary; Shu Mai and a member of the intergalactic banking clan, San Hill.

"As I explained to you earlier, I'm quite convinced that ten thousand more systems will rally to our cause with your support, gentlemen. And let me remind you of our absolute commitment to capitalism... of the lower taxes, the reduced tariffs, and the eventual abolition of all trade barriers. Signing this treaty will bring you profits beyond your wildest imagination. What we are proposing is completely free trade," Dooku said and looked at Nute, "Our friends in the Trade Federation have pledged their support. When their Battle Droids are combined with yours, we shall have an army greater than anything in the galaxy, The Jedi will be overwhelmed. The Republic will agree to any demands me make," he said.

"I am authorized by the Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty," Passel Argente, the Corporate Alliance Representative said.

Dooku smiled "We are most grateful for your cooperation, Chairman," he said.

"The Commerce Guilds do not at this time wish to become openly involved, But we shall support you in secret - and look forward to doing business with you," Shu Mai, the Commerce Guild Representative said.

There were chuckles around the table and Dooku smiled. "That is all we ask," he said.

"The Intergalactic Banking Clan will support you wholeheartedly, but only in a non-exclusive arrangement," San Hill said.

"The Techno Unions are at your disposal, Count," Wat Tambor said.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Coruscant**_

Mace Windu walked down an upper corridor and met Master Yoda, who was sitting on a ledge overlooking the Senate chamber and Starkiller who leaned against it, a sour look on his face.

Inside the great rotunda, the uproar was even louder. Opposing Senators yelled furiously at one another.

"Order! Order!!" Mas Amedda called over the yelling and finally the uproar died.

"In the regrettable absence of Senator Amidala, the chair recognizes senior representative of Naboo, Jar Jar Binks," Palpatine called.

Amid the conflicting storm of cheers and boos, Jar Jar, with two Gungan aids, floated on his pod to the middle of the vast space. He looked at Palpatine nervously. Palpatine nodded and Jar Jar cleared his throat.

"Senators, dellow felagates..." Jar Jar began and paused for the laughter and jeers.

"Order! The Senate will accord the Representative the courtesy of a hearing!" Mas amedda called and the laughter and jeers died.

"In response to the direct threat to the Republic mesa propose that the Senate give immediately emergency powers to the Supreme Chancellor," Jar Jar said.

A brief silence was followed by a waving of applause, Jar Jar Beamed and bowed.

Palpatine rose. "It is with great reluctance that I have agreed to this calling. I love democracy... I love the Republic. But I am mild by nature, and I do not desire to see the destruction of democracy. The power you give me I will lay down when this crisis has abated, I promise you. And as my first act with this new authority, I will create a Grand Army of the Republic to counter the increasing threats of the separatists," he said to the crowd.

Master Yoda's ears folded in. Mace frowned deeply and looked to Starkiller who seemed to be equally upset. "He manipulated Jar Jar's gullibility to his own purpose. Mas Amedda is involved. The more emergency power he receives, the closer he get to turning the Republic into his own Empire," Starkiller said quietly.

"Then let us stop him before he can succeed," Mace said.

Starkiller looked at him and gave him a dark smile. "That is why I am here," he told him.

"Go to Kamino to inspect this clone army I will," Master Yoda decided.

Starkiller turned to him. "Before you leave, make sure to have order sixty six wiped from their programing," he told him.

Master Yoda paused to look at him.

"Order sixty six?" Mace asked skeptically.

"It is the destruction of the Jedi order," Starkiller told them and moved to leave.

"Where are you going?" Mace demanded.

"Geonosis, Master Kenobi will need my help," Starkiller answered without stopping, leaving Mace to ponder more about who and what he was.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Naboo**_

Padmé found Anakin pacing out on the veranda. She hesitated, knowing that things between them were no longer as easy as they had once been and it tore at her to know that they haven't spoken all day and that he had made great pains to avoid her. She wasn't sure how to fix this. Neither one of them having been prepared for it. The more she stood there and the less he spoke to her made her loose her nerve and she turned away only to stop when he finally spoke.

"I don't accept it," Anakin told her, looking straight at her.

She turned to face him. "Anakin..."

"I do not accept that the idea of something between us as being impossible," he told her.

"Please don't make this anymore difficult than it already is," Padmé begged.

"It's not my choice for it to be difficult," Anakin told her defensively. "I know what the only solution is and I accept that. I'll leave the Order," he told her.

"Anakin, no, I will not allow you to give up everything that you worked so hard for. You've come so far and there is so much more that you can do," Padmé told him.

"I don't care! I don't care about the Order or being a Jedi!" Anakin told her.

"I don't believe that," Padmé told him. "I know you, Anakin. You said many times that being a Jedi and being able to free the slaves is all that you've wanted."

"It doesn't matter anymore. I don't care about any of it! Because all I can think of, all that I can focus on is you! Nothing else matters!" Anakin told her.

"Stop it, Anakin," Padmé commanded.

"You can't convince me that you don't feel the same, I know better," Anakin told her, walking over to her. "It is possible, admit to it," he told her.

"It's not, Ani...it's not that simple," Padmé persisted.

"It is," Anakin told her, now close enough to tilt her eyes up to his. "I knew from the moment you walked into Watto's shop that you were my future. I didn't understand it then, but now...I do," he told her, leaning in to kiss her. "Tell me that you'll consider it," he begged, a hair's breadth away from kissing her. Padmé closed her eyes and just as he was about to kiss her, she steeped away.

"No. This is madness and I will not give in to it," she told him, turning away from the hurt look in his eyes, and going back into the house.

"I love you! Doesn't that mean anything??" Anakin demanded after her and grew hopeful when she paused but then she continued on into the house, not answering him. He picked up the blown glass orb, that was given to him by the old man when he and Padmé visited the island on the lake where he lived, and threw it against the wall of the house where it promptly shattered into a million pieces. As soon as he had done it, he regretted it and slumped down by the stone railing, his back against it. He brought his knees up, rested his arms on them and his face in his hands. "There is a way," he muttered to himself, "There has to be!" Suddenly he felt as if he weren't alone anymore and looked up, hoping to see Padmé, but instead saw Luke and Leia watching him silently. He instantly got up. "What are you looking at?" he demanded rather shortly and defensively, and before they could respond, he left the terrace and the house together, needing to be alone.

--------------------------------------------------------

Anakin locked himself in his room and pulled out his datapad, pulling up his holonet inbox. He saw an urgent message from his old friend Kitster Banai from a month ago that he didn't read. "Probably to complain about his ship again," he muttered and opened the message frowning at what he read.

"_Anakin, you need to come home. Something bad happened."_

And he remembered his dreams. Making a decision he left the room and found Padmé sitting with Luke and Leia laughing. He didn't step into the room any further than the doorway. They all looked at him. "I am deeply sorry, Senator, but I am afraid that I must leave you," he said addressing Padmé and using an official voice.

Padmé stood. "Leave? Anakin if this is about..." she said.

"I'm going home. I'm needed elsewhere at the moment," Anakin interrupted her. "I know that I am disobey my mandate to protect you, but I trust that I am leaving your safety in capable hands," he told her.

Luke and Leia stood as well as Padmé spoke. "I'm going with you," she told him.

"Tatooine is no place for a Senator," Anakin insisted.

Padmé frowned. "I'm going with you," she repeated. "Don't try to dissuade me from this decision, Anakin," she warned.

"Fine," Anakin said. "I'm leaving in an hour," he said, turning around to leave.

Padmé turned to Luke and Leia. "Are you coming as well?" she asked.

"We were assigned to you as well," Luke said.

"We're going," Leia finished.

Padmé nodded, turning around to get packed.


	18. Return to Tatooine

_**A/N:**Since I have this chapter and the next two written already, completed, and ready to post, I'm going to hold myself back a little and post one each day. I know this must please you guys greatly. My little break was beneficial. BTW: I am working on a five part story that once I have it completed, I will post it. Be on the look out for the story: Love and War and Holovideos, an AU ROTS what if story. And one more note, I must thank my beta reader Amthyst_fire, for helping me get these chapters ready for you in a timely manner. Also for any true writers reading my stories, check out my new forum post, the link is in my profile._

_**Translation between huttese and basic:**_

_No chuba da wanga, da wanga! - No, not that one - that one!_

_Excuse me, Watto. - Chut, chut, Watto_

_What? - Ke Booda?_

_I said excuse me. - Di nova, 'Chut, chut.'_

_Shut down. - Go ana bopa!_

_Ding mi chasa hopa - Let me help you with that. _

_What? I don't know you... What can I do for you? You look like a Jedi. Whatever it is... I didn't do it. - Ke booda? Yo baan pee hota. No wega mi condorta. Kin chasa du Jedi. No bata tu tu!_

_I'm looking for Shmi Skywalker. - Mi boska di Shmi Skywalker _

&#&#&

"Ten years and yet nothing seems to have changed," Anakin muttered as he lead Padmé, Luke and Leia walked through the streets of Mos Espa. No longer used to the intense heat of the twin suns, he felt like his skin was being scorched and he was beginning to perspire under the heat. He sensed that he was not the only one who felt that way and took comfort in it.

"I spent very little time here, I don't really remember much detail," Padmé told him.

"There really isn't _much_ to remember," Luke piped up.

"Yet you seem to have fond enough memories," Leia pointed out.

Luke grinned as he remembered his youth. "Ah yes, racing through Begger's Canyon and shooting womp rats as target practice with Biggs, good times," he said fondly. Leia just rolled her eyes at that comment.

Luke's comment somehow managed to put a smile on Anakin's face as well. "Pod Racing was always the the most fun. I wonder what happed to my old pod, you remember, Padmé, the one I built from scratch and won the Boonta Eve Classic in?" he asked.

"Remember when Jar Jar bumped his head in the energy binders? And then nearly lost his hand because he got his hand stuck in one of the afterburners, poor thing couldn't ask for help because his face had become numb," Padmé reminded him.

"To be totally fair, I did warn him to stay clear or else the energy binders would make him go numb for hours," Anakin pointed out, "It's not my fault he didn't listen."

"No one said it was," Padmé told him and became confused when he started chuckling. "What?" she asked.

"I'm trying to wrap my mind around how Jar Jar Binks, the gungan banished by his own people because he is clumsy, ended up becoming Representative Binks," he told her.

"You don't give Jar Jar enough credit, he is actually a lot of help, he also has the good of his people and mine at heart," Padmé told him in defense of poor Jar Jar.

Anakin just shrugged in an answer and spotted a pallie stand, still run by the old woman he knew as Jira. "Is anyone hungry?" he asked.

Padmé looked to what caught his attention. "Republican credits are no good on Tatooine, we don't have anything else," she reminded him.

Anakin looked at her. "Who needs credits?" he asked confidently before waltzing up to the pallie stand and casually leaned against it, checking out his favorite childhood treat. "Fine selection," he said.

Jira smiled up at him. "The finest in Mos Espa," she told him proudly.

"I remember," Anakin told her, winking at her. "How's the new cooling unit fairing?" he asked causally.

"I haven't had to spend the money to buy a new one for the past ten years since a sweet little boy shared his racing winnings with me," Jira told him.

"I knew it'd be enough," Anakin told her.

Jira's face lit up as she realized who she was speaking to. "Little Ani?! My you've grown!" she said, standing to offer him an embrace that was welcomed.

Anakin chuckled. "You're the second person to point out the obvious," he told her stepping away.

"Are you hungry, Ani? You look famished," Jira asked.

Anakin used the force to lift up a few pallies, twirling them around. "I'm not here for long, I'm actually supposed to be on official business...but..."

Jira watched him closely. "Shmi said that you left with a Jedi," she said and her eyes darted towards his companions. "Before you leave, you should come over for a visit, I think I remember your favorites," she told him.

"A sand storm is brewing a hectare south of here," Anakin told her knowingly, "In the mean time, I'm going to have a look around, make some inquiries," he told her.

"You know where I'm at, Ani," Jira told him and noted his eyes on the pallies, "Take them," she urged.

Anakin called four of the ripest pallies into his hand with the force and nodded to her before turning to where Padmé waited with Luke and Leia, to each he handed a pallie. "Nothing like being home," he said, taking a bite of the pallie in his palm, savoring the sweetly sour fruit native to his homeworld.

"Who was that?" Luke asked.

"A friend of my mother's," Anakin answered. "She's offered us shelter from the coming sandstorm," he informed them.

"How far off is it?" Padmé asked.

"Smells like it's half an hour away," Luke answered.

"Smells like it?" Leia questioned.

"Yeah, sort of like when you can smell rain," Luke explained.

"What will we do in the mean time?" Padmé asked, looking at Anakin.

"See if Watto is still in business, losing me must have cost him some profits, we may have a bargaining tool," Anakin told them as they headed towards an old junk shop. "I doubt he's gotten any less greedy anyway."

The small junk shop Anakin had spent most of his time in as a child didn't seem to change all that much, but then again Watto never did much for the upkeep besides keep it standing. Sitting on a stool in front of the shop was Watto. He was using a small electronic screwdriver on a fiddly droid. Three pit droids chattered away and keep trying to help him, but they seem only to make him madder."No chuba da wanga, da wanga!"

Anakin motioned for everyone to stand back as he approached Watto. "Chut, chut, Watto," he greeted in huttese.

"Ke Booda?" Watto demanded irritably.

"Di nova, 'Chut, chut.'" Anakin calmly replied.

Watto turned to the chattering pit droids and said, "Go ana bopa!" and watched as they snapped into their storage positions.

With Watto's attention briefly on the pit droids, Anakin took the fiddly piece of equipment Watto had set down in irritation. "Ding mi chasa hopa," he offered and started to play with it some.

Watto blinked in surprise but then grew irritated. "Ke booda? Yo baan pee hota. No wega mi condorta. Kin chasa du Jedi. No bata tu tu!" he snapped before dropping the screwdriver in his hand and cursed a vial hutt oath rather loudly.

Anakin continued to fiddle with the droid in his hands and briefly looked up from it at Watto. "Mi boska di Shmi Skywalker," he told him.

Watto looked at him suspiciously and then stared at Padmé before turning back to Anakin, drawing the lines. "Ani?? Little Ani?? Naaah!!" he exclaimed in disbelief. Suddenly the droid in Anakin's hands sprung to life and Watto blinked before beaming. "You are Ani! It is you! Ya sure sprouted! Weehoo! A Jedi! Waddya know? Hey, maybe you couldda help wit some deadbeats who owe me a lot of money..." he said in excitement.

Anakin interrupted him sternly, "My mother..."

Watto scratched his head, floating up to be eye level with Anakin. "Oh, yeah. Shmi... she's not mine no more. I sold her," he told him.

"Sold her..." Anakin repeated dangerously.

"Years ago. Sorry, Ani, but you know, business is business. Sold her to a moisture farmer named Lars," Watto started and Anakin briefly glanced in Luke's direction upon hearing the name Lars before turning back to Watto who continued. "Least I think it was Lars. Believe it or not, I heard he freed her

and married her. Can ya beat that?"

"Do you know where they are?" Anakin asked.

"Long way from here... someplace over on the other side of Mos Eisley, I think..." Watto told him.

"I'd like to know," Anakin told him flatly, his grim look meaning business.

Watto quickly got the hint. "Yeah... sure... absolutely. Let's go look in my records," he agreed and floated into the shop.

Anakin nodded in Padmé's direction before following to toydarian inside the dimly lit shop.

"Lets go," Padmé said to Luke and Leia, leading the way inside too see Anakin lift a heavy tome from under the large counter in the shop and drop it onto the counter, opening it, a substantial amount of sand and dust clouding up by the mere motion of the creakily old parchment pages.

"How long ago?" Anakin asked, flipping through the pages, ignoring the seedy business notes.

"Not that long after you left, I've had to do my own bookkeeping since," Watto told him.

"I'm surprised you're still in business," Anakin grumbled.

"Ah, you can just ignore these notes here," Watto told him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to arrest you. I'd much rather store this information away for the next time I need anything," Anakin told him grimly.

"Blackmail," Watto huffed.

"Your lessons do come in handy from time to time," Anakin told him flatly as he continued to pour through the pages. "Don't touch that!" he snapped, not looking up from the tome.

Luke froze in mid--grasp for a rather interesting looking droid. He glanced over at Anakin and rose an eyebrow.

"Unless you know how to use it, you'll get an acidly oil squirted at you," Anakin explained.

Leia frowned at what was clearly a contraband item. "Possession is a severe offense," she pointed out.

Watto looked at her. "You're not from around here are you?" he asked.

"Republican laws don't exist in Hutt territory," Anakin told her, glancing at Luke wondering why he hadn't told her that before he refocused on the book and coming to a dead end before closing it. "You didn't record it as a business expense," he pointed out, looking at Watto. "You're covering your tracks," he said smugly. "Qui-Gon made you nervous so you got rid of any proof that you are a part of the slave trafficking ring."

Watto instantly began sputtering. "I know nothing!" he insisted.

Anakin gave him a smug smile and shook his head in a tisking motion. "I know you, Watto. Who's watching you?" he asked.

"You assume too much!" Watto snapped.

Anakin pressed his palm firmly on the tome and leaned forward. "I'll make you a deal, you tell me what I want to know and I'll put in a good word for you," he bargained.

"I'm not falling for it, your Jedi friend hoodwinked me! I won't fall for the same trick twice," Watto told him stubbornly crossing his arms.

"I'm not trying to hoodwink you, Watto. The facts are these, I can easily be counted on as a character witness, the word of a Jedi holds a lot of weight in the courts. You can either have me on your side or on the opposition. It all depends on whether or not you cooperate now," Anakin told him confidently.

Watto floated back and forth, pinching his chin, painfully deciding his odds. "Cliegg Lars, that's his name! I already told you everything else I know!" he told him, coming to his decision.

Anakin smiled. "You've been most helpful," he said, turning to leave.

"You'll keep your word? Right?" Watto called after him.

Anakin turned back to him and gave him a sly smile. "I fully intend to dismantle the slave ring. Should you stay clean between now and then, I may," he told him before giving him a curt nod leaving the shop with Padmé, Luke and Leia.

"Will you keep your word, Anakin?" Padmé asked.

"Watto will end up being his own undoing, he doesn't need my help for that. Besides, he wasn't really that bad as owners went. He let me do whatever I wanted anyway," Anakin answered.

"I'd just hate to know that you went back on your word," Padmé told him.

Anakin looked at her. "I wouldn't do that," he told her. "It compromises a persons credibility when they do so."

At that statement, Leia just gave Luke a look that clearly discredited it, both remembering what had happened on Bespin between Vader and Lando.

"Are you related to this Cliegg Lars?" Anakin asked, looking at Luke who looked stunned at the abrupt question.

"I've never heard of any Cliegg Lars," Luke told him which was only a half truth.

"Curious," Anakin muttered but said nothing further on the topic. He nodded towards a side street. "Careful," he advised, pulling the cowl of his cloak up over his head, Luke and Leia did the same, and stepped closer to Padmé, placing a hand on the small of her back. "Stay close to me," he told her as they entered the shaded side street, crowded with several stands selling all sorts of contrabands like drugs and poisons.

"Death sticks?" a rather gruff and shaggy alien offered, branding the drugs in their faces like tempting candy.

Leia pulled a face as Luke pulled her closer, shoving the offending alien out of his way. In response a bag of spice was offered which Leia promptly shoved away from her.

"A credit for your women," A rather menacing alien offered, making the mistake of blocking Anakin's path, his huge bulk taking up most of the street.

Anakin's only response was to pull out his lightsaber and quickly hold the blade against the alien's neck. "I dare you to try," he said menacingly.

The alien only laughed. "I was only being polite. I don't have to give you anything," he said.

"You don't have to walk away breathing either," Anakin pointed out.

Suddenly three other alien's backed up the one blocking their path.

Anakin sized each alien up and down. "Are you trying to intimidate me?" he asked mildly. Before they could move or respond, Anakin force shoved them all apart and into stands and against walls. "Posku kuchi," he snapped as he passed the offending alien who groaned from his spot on the ground surrounded by what used to be a poison stand.

"And I know that insult well," Luke muttered, recognizing the extremely offending insult.

Everyone breathed with relief when they left the side street behind, well except for Anakin who didn't seem to have been that well bothered by the experience.

"What was the point of pushing our way through that?" Leia demanded.

"For where we're going, we would have had to walk five blocks if we didn't," Anakin answered simply. He straitened his robes before spotting the child tentatively reaching for a small piece of food from a stand, painfully trying to keep anyone from noticing. He didn't need to glance twice to know that the small little girl was a slave, the barely healed bruises and rags were ample indicators.

"Personally, I'd rather have walked the five blocks..." Padmé said, turning towards Anakin to see the intense look on his face and glanced in the direction he was staring at and covered her mouth with her hand. "Is she...?"

"Yes," Anakin answered hollowly, keeping watch for the child's abusive owner.

Both Luke and Leia saw the slave girl, Luke frowned at the rather blinding signs of mistreatment. Leia, however, gasped, it being the first time she had seen such a thing.

Out of nowhere a rather large man appeared out of nowhere and roughly grabbed the little girls arm and backhanding her when she started to cry in pain. Anakin instantly acted without thinking, bringing the blade of his lightsaber against the man's throat and positioning himself between the slaver and slave.

"On the behalf of the Galactic Republic I order you to release the child to me," Anakin told him through clenched teeth.

The man laughed in his face. "You're out of your jurisdiction, boy," he said, and roughly shoved Anakin aside and moving to grab the girl again who cowered in fear.

Not one to back down at anything, Anakin grabbed his fist, bent it backwards and twisted his arm painfully behind his back, shoving him roughly against the wall. "This is how it's going to work, your going to give me her transmitter code and I'll consider letting you keep both hands," he told him.

"You don't scare me, boy, the Hutts decide on the transactions of property," the man told him.

"She's a human being, not cattle," Anakin seethed and then searched his pockets for his transmitter, finding it easily and pocketed it. "You can go ahead run to Jabba over this, I'll be gone before you could track me down and so will she," he told him, releasing him with a hard shove further against the wall.

Padmé made quick work with scooping the little girl up for safety, stepping away from the slaver and back to where Luke and Leia still stood.

Anakin made quick work at disabling the transmitter and made a point to crush it under his boot before joining Padmé. "If Obi-Wan had been here, he would complain about picking up strays," he said, turning to the little girl who looked to be no more than five years of age. "It's alright, you're safe, no one will hurt you again, I promise," he told her gently.

"I don't think he would complain this time, Anakin," Padmé told him.

Anakin nodded. "Lets go," he said. "The sandstorm is going to pick up any moment," he said, leading the way through the throng of people to where Jira resided.

"What do you plan to do with her?" Leia asked.

"Take her to the capital. If her family can't be located, she'll be placed in a suitable home," Anakin answered.

"Why not to the Temple?" Luke asked. "She is Force Sensitive," he pointed out.

"Because the council will reject her, they'd claim that she's too old," Anakin answered.

"But I was nineteen when I began my training..."

Anakin gave him a weird look. "_I_ was rejected at the age of nine because of my age. She's five," he told him pointedly.

"Yet you're a Jedi..."

"Only because Obi-Wan backed Master Yoda into a corner," Anakin cut him off as they arrived at Jira's.

"Oh this storms brewing a bad one, Ani, I can feel it in my bones," Jira said, ushering them inside and reinforcing the door for the storm.

"Looks like we'll be here overnight then," Anakin deducted, sensing her meaning through the Force.

Jira then noticed the mistreated child in Padmé's arms. "Oh the poor dear, here lay her down, I have a few creams for the bruises," she instructed.

"Jabba's going to be looking for us," Anakin told her, going to retrieve the creams and handing them to Padmé.

Jira looked at him. "You did what was right," she said.

"He was going to kill her eventually on the grounds that she's defective," Anakin said in disgust. At the confused looks he received, he explained, "She's blind, look at her eyes, look at how she feels for things." He then made quick work of preparing bandages for the open sours on her arms and legs.

Jira watched him sadly. "You're thinking of Andĕla," she said. She saw him pause for a moment before continuing what he was doing in silence. "What they did to your sister was unspeakable, Ani. There was nothing you could have done to stop them, you were too small, but you can now," she told him gently.

The muscles in Anakin's jaw tightened before he nodded. "Every slaver is a monster, I take comfort in that fact that they will be stopped and dealt with accordingly," he told her, moving to assist Padmé in mending the little girl's wounds. He pressed a hand over her forehead and waist, closing his eyes. "She has a fever and two cracked ribs. I'm going to have to keep an eye on her through the night," he diagnosed.

"I still can't believe anyone would do this to a defenseless child," Padmé told him, hollowly.

"There is no such thing as a well-treated slave," Anakin told her. He looked over at Jira, "I'll need to break her fever," he told her.

Jira nodded. "I have what you'll need," she told him, moving to the cupboard and pulled out a woolen blanket and handed it to Anakin, who gently wrapped it snugly around the little girl and sat down on the couch, holding her in his arms.

Padmé sat beside him, gently pressing her hand on the child's cheek. "Will she make it?" she asked softly.

Anakin nodded. "I've done this before," he told her. "Obi-Wan and I busted a slave organization before, well sort of. I made a near fatal error and ended up captured. There weren't any adults on the cargo freighter I had stowed away on. There were a lot of injured children, I wasn't able to save them all." He looked down as the little girl curled her fist around his sleeve.

"Hurts," she whimpered and then began to shiver.

"As soon as the storm is over, a bounty will be placed on us, we'll have to get to the ship before then," Anakin whispered.

"I'll go," Luke offered. "If memory serves me right, there is a free space two streets down. I can move the ship from the hanger to there and you can meet me there," he told them.

"I have no doubt that there will be someone positioned at the hanger to keep watch for us if we were to leave that way," Leia added.

Luke nodded. "She's got a point. I narrowly escaped a hanger in Mos Eisley once for something similar," he concurred.

"Then it's decided," Padmé said, looking up to see Luke and Leia looking at one another. It was unclear what was going through their minds.

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It was well into the night and the storm was still going about fiercely. It had taken only a couple of hours for Anakin to break the nameless child's fever, using some well-practiced force techniques. Padmé watched in fascination as Anakin draped a hand over the child's eyes, unable to hear the words that where whispered before she closed her eyes and feel asleep. Luke and Leia had offered to help Jira piece together a small meal, leaving Padmé alone to watch Anakin, the corners of her mouth turning upwards. Wordlessly she approached him and knelt down next to him.

"Did she tell you her name?" she asked.

"She can't, she doesn't know it," Anakin told her. "I'm not surprised, there are a lot of slave children, parted from their parents who know nothing about where they come from. They become known as just a number," he said softly.

"She needs a name Anakin," Padmé told him.

"I want to take her before the council," Anakin told her decisively.

"Like Qui-Gon took you before them?" Padmé asked, looking at him.

"Everyone deserves a chance, if they can't see that, I'll make them see it," he told her, standing up and walking over to a side table where a couple flickering holos rested. "My mother isn't on Tatooine, she hasn't been for at least two weeks," he said, switching subjects.

"Ho do you know?" Padmé asked.

"I sensed her absence since we landed," Anakin told her. "But the Force is telling me to stay here for a few days. I can't explain it any further than that."

Padmé stood and walked over to him. "Is the Force guiding you to take her to the Temple?" she asked.

Anakin shook his head. "No," he admitted. "I wasn't prepared to come back here yet. I wasn't supposed to come back yet. I wasn't a part of the deal..."

"What deal?" Padmé asked.

"It's not important," Anakin told her dismissively, turning to see Luke and Leia return to the room beside Jira who held and pot of womp rat soup before setting it on the table. Instead, he took a seat at the table across from Jira, who had always treated him like he was family, taking a bowl from the cupboards as he did so, the rough earthen clay he felt beneath his figures like a memory he struggled to touch, and ladled himself out some of the gray brothy soup, the lumpy balls made up from the animals brains and organs, held together by it's own fatty tissue floating in the surface. It was a delicacy that seemed only to appeal beings who called Tatooine home. Jira handed him a pair of chop-sticks, made from the bones of such animals and calmly began to eat the soup, using the chop sticks to dish out the meat from the soup, as it were customary, he looked to to see Jira doing the same, looking around he saw Luke calmly savoring the soup as well while Leia and Padmé didn't seem to care much for the way it looked or what they knew was in it.

"What brought you home, Ani?" Jira asked.

"I was called to come back," Anakin answered her. "I sense that there is something... different, something unsettling going on," he finished.

"The laws have changed, Ani," Jira told him.

"What laws? Has Jabba gotten into politics rather than crime?" Anakin snorted.

"Kitster will fill you in, he's been holding himself up at your mother's for months now," Jira told him.

"When was the last time you spoke to my mother?" Anakin asked her.

"Oh, over a month ago, Ani. She hoped that you and Kitster would stop fighting long enough for him to talk you into visiting," Jira answered.

Anakin winced. "I did not start the fight," he told her.

"Oh, I heard his angry ranting," Jira told him shaking her head. "I think it's time the two of you stopped swapping insults and actually had a civilized conversation long enough to work together, you know how the trade tunnel benefits more when you talk to each other civilly," she reminded him.

"Just tell me how to get to the Lars Homestead," Anakin told her.

"It's the closest one on the other side of Anchorhead past Mos Eisley, You can't miss Threepio going about his duties outside," Jira told him.

Luke turned away from the closed window he was standing by. "It's safe enough to get to the ship," he told them and at their acknowledgment he shrugged on his borrowed for the time being and pulled it close around him, gathering the cowl around his face before heading out into the storm.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Anakin muttered, eying the fierceness of the winds whipping the sand around. "The sand alone will peal his skin away."

Leia turned to him. "He's secured a moisture farm in worse winds, or so he brags whenever someone warns him against going out in harsh weather," she told him. "He's survived worse," she added.

"Like?" Anakin asked.

"He nearly froze to death on Hoth when an ice beast attacked him while he was doing rounds around the base. If it wasn't for Han he would have died. He was in a bacta tank for days afterwards," Leia answered, turning towards the window, opening it a smidgen to watch the storm.

When the storm died down enough to where it wasn't as dangerous, Anakin said goodbye to Jira before they each made it outside to where Luke was waiting for them with the ship.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

True to Jira's word, the Lars homestead was unmistakable. Anakin decided to land the ship at a safe distance before he noted the lone figure waiting for them. As they exited the ship Luke and Leia noticed that this person was around the same age as Anakin and stood a an inch taller. He had olive skin, black spiky hair, brown eyes and a few piercings. He wore a sleeveless top and vest and a few tattoos could be seen on his arms as well as a branding on his right wrist. Anakin seemed to be annoyed.

"Why didn't you tell me you've been here for several months?" Anakin demanded without preamble.

"You weren't answering my messages so I stopped sending them," the man/boy answered.

"So help me Kitster..." Anakin began.

"Where's my ship?" Kitster asked knitting his eyebrows together crossly.

"Back at the impound lot," Anakin told him.

"You can pull some of your Jedi strings to get it out," Kitster told him stubbornly.

"I am not going to wave my fingers and magically get your ship out for you," Anakin told him.

"You owe me!" Kitster told him.

"I always owe you," Anakin said dismissively.

It was then that Kitster spotted Padmé who walked forward to greet him. "Well hello," he said adapting a suave demeanor.

Anakin turned and then frowned at Kitster but before he could speak Kitster did.

"You Milady are too Exquisite for this glorious jewel," Kitster told her taking her hand and kissing it, his eyes firmly on hers.

Anakin looked annoyed. "Are you kidding me!" he snapped.

Padmé laughed. "Hello Kitster," she said.

Anakin glared daggers and stepped slightly between them. "That is some line," he said to Kitster sarcastically and turned to Padmé. "Don't listen to any word his says, he uses that line on every female with a pulse no matter where we are despite the fact that it only makes sense if he saying it to someone on Nal Hutta. Glorious Jewel is the basic translation for Nal Hutta," he told her, his tone only a hint of annoyance.

"You know, I remember you," Kitster told Padmé, ignoring Anakin. "Padmé Naberrie, right?" he asked.

Anakin narrowed his eyes at Kitster, "Forget it," he snapped.

Kitster turned to Anakin. "Lets let the lady decide, eh. Meanwhile get my ship," he told him.

"Pay the fee!" Anakin snapped.

"I would if my cargo wasn't taken by your comrades," Kitster told him pointedly.

"Next time you make a delivery at the Jedi Temple you'll think about unloading any contraband before hand," Anakin told him pointedly.

"I want my ship!" Kitster told him.

"Again, pay the Fee!" Anakin snapped.

"I can still tell your mother the kind of things you've been up to..." Kitster threatened.

Anakin crossed his arms, a challenging look in his eyes. "Lets go get her then and I'll tell her personally," he replied.

Kitster scratched his head. "Well uh, she's not here at the moment..." he said.

Anakin smirked. "I know," he told him.

"So that Starkiller fellow wasn't blowing smoke then..." Kitster told him.

Anakin frowned. "What does he have to do anything?" he demanded.

Kitster looked at him blankly. "You don't know?" he asked.

Anakin seemed to grow impatient so Kitster looked around spotting Luke and Leia who silently watched the exchange, or more importantly Leia. "Who are you?" he said suavely, walking over to Leia and went to take her hand to kiss it but she snatched it away.

"Leia," she said in the same haughty tone she used on Bespin with Lando.

"Welcome Leia," Kitster told her a twinkle in his eyes before he was yanked back by his collar by Anakin. "Hey!"

"What is your problem, run out of other people to hit on?" Anakin demanded.

"Well you know, desert dwellers aren't as friendly as others, as you know..." Kitster told him in an excuse.

"Inside, now!" Anakin told him, smacking his shoulders.

"Alright, alright!" Kitster replied as they went inside. "Geez, Speed, you've got problems right now! When was the last time you got laid?... _Owe_!"

Padmé shook her head, keeping herself from chuckling.

"Who is that?" Luke asked.

"Kitster? He's Anakin's best friend, they've been friends since they were children," Padmé answered. "Come on, we better get inside," she said following Anakin and Kitster with Luke and Leia behind her. They where walking down the stairs into the courtyard with Anakin and Kitster standing at the bottom.

"Hey Owen, told ya, Anakin would be here," Kitster said as Owen Lars walked over to them with a young woman.

"So it seems," Owen replied, not really that much of a fan of Kitster Banai but Shmi thought of him as a son, so he put up with him. He turned to Anakin, hoping that he was different. "Owen Lars and this is my girlfriend Beru," he said introduce himself.

"Hello," Beru said friendly.

"Anakin Skywalker," Anakin told him, not seeming all that interested at the moment, focused on glaring at Kitster who started to stare at Padmé again.

Owen looked in the direction they were staring but continued nonetheless. "I guess this makes up step-brothers," he said.

Anakin told him. "Where did my mother go?" he asked abruptly.

Owen blinked for a moment, not used to the abruptness.

"A friend of yours came here and took her to Coruscant," a new voice said as an older man in a hover chair came forward and stuck out his hand at Anakin. "Cliegg Lars, Shmi is my wife," he said when Anakin took his hand.

"What friend came here?" Anakin asked.

"Some fellow named Starkiller, said he was coming here on your wishes," Kitster told him. "He rescued Shmi from a Tuskan camp and took her to the Jedi Temple, so he said. She didn't look too well." he finished. At Anakin's accusatory stare, he said, "I tried to tell you that you needed to get here because of those tuskans but you weren't answering me," he said pointedly.

"I got tired of hearing you complain about your ship," Anakin told him pointedly.

Kitster crossed his arms and cocked one hip out to the side in annoyance. He opened his mouth up to speak before he lost the chance.

"I have a child in the ship resting, her former owner beat her and starved her, she is also blind and she hasn't spoken much, she doesn't even have a name," Anakin told him.

"I'll contact the others," Kitster told him, his demeanor changing.

"I'm coming with you," Anakin told him decisively. "Jabba put a price on my head for this now so we both have bounty hunters to dodge," he told him.

Cliegg looked at them before they walked away. "Until they come to collect her, you'll have to stay here, Beru will show you where to sleep," he told them.

Anakin nodded to him. "Sure," he said before he and Kitster walked away.

"Next after we contact the others, you can meet your sisters," Kitster said to Anakin as they walked away.

Cliegg turned to Padmé, Luke and Leia. "Are you with Anakin?" he asked.

"Yes," Padmé told him. "I'm Padmé and they're Jedi like Anakin, Luke and Leia," she finished.

"I'll show you where you can sleep," Beru said and lead them through the homestead.


	19. Tatooine pt 2

_**A/N:**_ _So here is the next chapter. I have one more chapter after this already written so if you expect another quick update for the chapter after that, look to my profile. _

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Luke stood outside on the farm like he used to do every night and watched the twin suns set. Just being here again brought back all of his childhood memories and the pain of coming home to find the farm destroyed and Owen and Beru Lars' burned bodies. They were killed by the Empire and their deaths were most likely ordered by his father. Luke hadn't taken the time to get the confirmation from his father on the matter and had decided against it. He didn't want to bring it up anymore than Leia wanted to bring up what Vader had done to her, to Han. Luke closed his eyes for a moment and tried to shut out the painful images. He was angry that day. He wanted to make the Empire pay for what they had done. He wanted justice to be served. Those were his reasons for joining Obi-Wan Kenobi in going to Alderaan. To learning about the Force, for he believed at the time that it was exactly what his father would have done. Little did he know the truth as his uncle and Obi-Wan had. Would he have done things differently if he had known the truth? The Empire needed to be stopped, that fact was true and when he had seen what had befallen Alderaan, his pain that the Empire had caused seemed insignificant and his purpose for joining in the fight against the Empire became much more. And now he was in the past where it all began. He had a chance to change the future but how much better would it be after this? What if he had made a mistake? How much would life change?

Luke was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice that someone had joined him. Not until he felt someone take his hand. He turned his head to look into Leia's worried face.

"Luke, what is wrong?" she asked.

"They don't know who I am, Leia. I don't know how to deal with that," Luke admitted.

Leia looked down. "I know," she said. "They seem like good people."

A sad smile graced Luke's face. "Good people who would be murdered by the Empire for no other reason than purchasing two droids. They didn't know anything about what Artoo was carrying," he said.

Pain crossed Leia's face as she realized that she had a role in Owen and Beru's deaths. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's not your fault, Leia. You didn't order their deaths," Luke told her.

Leia knew who he was talking about. "How do you know?" she asked. "Did you ask him?"

"I don't have to. I already knew. I knew the day that I returned home to find death," Luke told her.

"I'm having a hard time believing that our father and Vader could be..."

"The dark side does that to a person," Luke said interrupting her. "The Emperor is the real evil," he told her.

"I know," Leia said.

"You have to forgive him, Leia," Luke told her.

Leia looked down. "What happens if we succeed?" she asked, carefully avoiding that subject.

"Our lives would be completely different. The people that we have known may very well not know who we are. And we would be raised together by our parents," Luke answered.

"And if we fail?" Leia asked, afraid of the answer.

"We cannot fail," Luke said with conviction. "We must stop the Sith at all costs. We have to do what the Force permitted us to come here to do," he finished.

"I'm scared, Luke," Leia admitted.

"I am too," Luke admitted. "Everything has taken place as Father said that it would. Our presence here is affecting very little. I'm beginning to share Father's frustrations with the Jedi Order," he told her.

"They aren't really aware of what is going to happen," Leia said.

"Master Yoda knows, Leia. The Council knows, I'm sure. They just refuse to believe us," Luke told her.

"Nobody wants to believe that they will be slaughtered like an animal, Luke. Would you?" Leia pointed out.

"You have a point," Luke conceded. He then closed his eyes for a moment. "The dark side is clouding everything. I can feel it suffocating the air, even this far away from Coruscant," he said. "The Emperor is powerful. Even Father will be challenged. I truly don't know how to stop him. Creeping into his apartment and killing him in his sleep just sounds cowardly," he finished.

Leia looked out over to the setting suns. "Was facing him really so horrible?" she asked.

"Even Father was afraid of him, Leia," Luke told her.

"How do you know?" Leia asked.

Luke didn't answer her, he just turned towards the door the lead inside that house to see Padmé standing inside the door frame with a look of confusion on her face. "How much did you hear?" he asked.

Padmé stepped out of the door frame and walked over to them. "Everything," she answered. "But nothing that you were talking about makes much sense," she told them.

Leia looked over to Luke and the twins exchanged a look. Each worried about what to tell her.

"I think that you need to explain things to me," Padmé said, a commanding note in her voice.

"I don't think that you would believe us," Luke told her calmly.

"Try me," Padmé said.

"He'll be angry with us," Leia said, looking at her brother.

"I don't want to face his anger either, Leia, but we can't avoid telling her," Luke replied.

Leia nodded, seeing the logic in his words. "You're right," she said and then turned to Padmé. "Some of the things that we have been talking about has reference to things that have not happened yet," she said.

Understanding and uncertainty crossed Padmé's face. "I have heard the Jedi can see the future," she said.

"We're not talking about visions. Terrible things will happen if we don't stop it," Luke told her.

"How do you know this if you haven't foreseen it in a vision?" Padmé asked.

"Because we have lived through it," Leia answered.

"How?" Padmé asked.

Luke closed his eyes. "Because we're from the future," he told her.

"Is that even possible?" Padmé asked unbelievingly.

"Our being here is proof of that," Leia answered.

"What are these terrible things that will be happening?" Padmé asked, not wanting to believe them.

"I don't think that you will want to hear it," Luke told her calmly.

"I need to know," Padmé told them.

"Very soon a war will break out that will lead the way for the Republic to become an evil Empire," Leia told her.

"The Senate would not stand for that. The very concept..."

"The Senate applauded the day that Chancellor Palpatine declared the new order, naming himself Emperor," Leia interrupted her.

"I don't believe you," Padmé instantly replied.

"Chancellor Palpatine isn't what he seems. He is a Sith. His true name is Darth Sidious," Luke told her.

"No!" Padmé said. The ramifications of what she had just heard was just too great.

"He fooled the galaxy," Leia told her.

"We're telling you the truth," Luke told her.

"Who are you?" Padmé demanded.

Luke looked her in the eye knowing that he needed to tell her. He didn't want to keep this from her. "Our real names are not Luke Lars and Leia Solo; they're Luke and Leia Skywalker," he told her truthfully.

Padmé looked at him, seeing in his eyes the truth. She turned back to the house and then back to Luke and Leia. She didn't say anything.

Luke could sense her every thought as she digested this. "Our father is Anakin Skywalker," he said confirming a question that formed in Padmé's mind.

Padmé looked at them hard and she knew that he wasn't lying. She could see it in each of their faces. The resemblance to Anakin before she saw something else and her eyes widened. She was looking at her children. Children who didn't exist yet. And then she thought of the other one that came with them. "And who is the man you claim to be your master?" she asked.

"The man you know as Aaron Starkiller is our father," Leia answered.

That explained the looks that he would throw at her. The ones that made Anakin upset. As she thought about this, she heard everything that Anakin said about them, and his mistrust. "Anakin doesn't know," she said.

"He can't know," Luke told her.

"Why not?" Padmé demanded.

"The future depends on it," Luke answered, having no other way to explain it without giving away too much.

"We're trying to save him from a painful future," Leia added.

"I do not agree to this," Padmé told them. "Anakin needs to know."

"You can't tell him," Luke said quickly.

"It isn't my place to tell him," Padmé told them strictly. "I strongly advise you to tell him. Anakin is more intelligent than you give him credit for, he will figure things out eventually and it will be worse for you if you don't tell him beforehand," she finished.

"We can't tell him," Leia told her.

"Then you will have to deal with whatever happens," Padmé told them.

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Luke found solace in the homestead garage, like so many other time in his life. Upon entering, he found that it was just as he remembered, only one vehicle that he remembered being present and that was the old swoop bike his uncle had refused to let him try out as a boy. Brushing his hand over the vehicle longingly, he noticed a few kinks here and there. Owen Lars was never as competent a mechanic as he had been. Turning to the tool chest, Luke grabbed what tools he would need before he set to work, crouching down to see properly.

He wasn't sure how long he had been fixing the swoop bike but he was almost done when he heard voices and he turned to see Anakin and Kitster walking in, talking and laughing about old times.

"I'll never forget the look on Sebulba's face when you won," Kitster said, laughing.

"And I didn't even have to resort to cheating, it's called skill, Sebulba had none," Anakin said, pride lacing his voice.

"I heard Jabba was searching for you, he wanted to recruit you to make more money," Kitster told him.

"I would never work for a Hutt," Anakin told him.

"Nah, you'd spit in his face and tell him to shove it," Kistster laughed.

"Well someone should," Anakin told him seriously.

"Thats why you're running from the bounty he placed on your head?" Kitster asked.

"Jedi do not tuck tail and run," Anakin told him indigiantly. "I'll march right up to Jabba and tell him watch his back."

"Then do it," Kitster told him.

"Next time I'm here," Anakin told him. "In the mean time, I'll just rid him of his bounty hunters," he said.

"That's the Speed I know," Kitster laughed.

"So what did you drag me here to see?" Anakin asked.

"Oh you are not going to believe this," Kitster told him. "I found it months ago and when your mom saw it, well, she forced Cliegg to bargain for it," he told him walking over to something that was covered with a tarp tucked away in another part of the garage and pulled the tarp off revealing Anakin's old pod racer.

"No kidding!" Anakin snapped. "How in the blazes did you find this?" he asked, running his hands along the pod longingly.

"It was in a junk shop," Kitster told him. "I spent a lot of time fixing her up for you, you know," he told him.

"Yeah, but does she run?" Anakin asked, looking at him.

"Why don't you take her for a spin?" Kistster suggested.

"Now that, I can't resist," Anakin told him, hopping into the cockpit. "It's a bit smaller than I remember," he grumbled.

"You were nine when you last raced it," Kitster pointed out.

Anakin shifted into a more comfortable position. "I need to make a few adjustments," he said, familiarizing himself with the controls.

"Come on, lets get her outside," Kitster prompted.

It was at that moment Luke dropped a wrench on his foot and he cursed making his presence known to Kitster and Anakin.

"What are you hiding for?" Kitster asked, somewhat suspiciously.

"Leave him alone, he's not harming anything," Anakin said hoping out of the pod. He turned to Luke. "Wanna see a real pod in action?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Luke told him, not willing to pass this up.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Padmé and Leia were in the middle of picking mushrooms when a commotion caught their attention and they turned to see Anakin, Kitster, and Luke tugging an old pod racer into an open area.

"What in the..." Leia began.

Padmé shook her head. "I never thought I'd see that again," she said.

"See what?" Leia asked.

"The pod racer Ani built years ago," Padmé told her. "Come on, you'll want to see this," she said, abandoning the mushrooms to join the men. "A little smaller than I remember," she said as she approached them.

Anakin shrugged and ran a dirty hand through his hair. "I can make it work," he told her confidently.

"I'm sure," Padmé agreed.

"Are we going to do this or not?" Kitster asked.

Leia walked over to stand next to Luke. "It looks worse than the Falcon," she commented she had meant for only Luke to hear but Anakin obviously heard her.

"Its not what it looks like on the outside that counts, its how it's made," Anakin told her, taking offense.

Luke and Leia only laughed, both reminded of Han towards the Falcon.

Kitster slug an arm on Anakin's shoulder. "You're looking at a mechanical genius and the pod that won the Boonta Eve Classic," he said proud of his friend.

"Lets hope it doesn't stall again," Padmé told them with a smile.

"Oh, ye of little faith," Anakin told her, hopping into the cockpit and making himself comfortable before taking the helmet Kitster handed him and strapping it on. Before starting the engine up with a roar. "See you guys!" he called before the pod took off at top speed.

Padmé turned to Kitster who let out a woop. "You've been waiting for this," she said with a laugh.

"Of course I have," Kitster told her. "I've been waiting for ten years," he finished.

"Ten years?" Leia asked skeptically.

"Yeah, Speed said he'd come back and here he is," Kitster told her.

Luke handed a pair of electro binoculars to Leia. "Look at the speed!" he told her.

Leia raised an eyebrow. "Impressive," she appraised as she watched the pod pull laps with swift ease, never once loosing speed, if any gaining more speed.

Kitster looked over at Padmé, debating with himself about going against Anakin's wishes. _Ah hell, he's not making a move!_ He smiled as he walked closer to her. "You know, Anakin isn't watching us, you wanna..."

Padmé looked at him. "What did Anakin say to you?" she asked.

"He told me that he'd feed me to the sarlacc if I made a move on you," Kitster told her honestly.

Padmé frowned. "I am not property," she told him.

Kistser blinked. "Hey, I'm not suggesting it! Anakin isn't either, he's just trying to get rid of any competition," he told her in defense. "You do recall that Ani and I were once slaves."

It was that moment that the pod came to a stop and Anakin tore off the helmet. "What a rush!" he exclaimed and then saw Padmé glare at him before walking back inside. He shot Kitstser an accusatory stare and jumped out of the pod tossing the helmet aside. "What did you do?" he demanded giving his friend a shove.

"What you aren't," Kitster told him. The two becoming oblivious to Luke and Leia's presence.

"That's what you think," Anakin told him. "You know her for what, two seconds? It took me ten years to get where I'm at!" he snapped.

"She's that holy and thou?" Kitster asked though he regretted it when Anakin punched him and stormed off muttering in huttese.

"Wow," Luke said.

"It's like Han and Lando all over again," Leia commented.

Kitster turned on them rubbing his jaw. "I hope you enjoyed that," he said bitterly.

"You kind of deserved it," Luke told him picking up the discarded helmet.

"What? You can't blame me for trying, I didn't see him doing anything!" Kitster told them defensively.

Leia looked over at Luke. "We should intervene," she told him.

Luke nodded. "But can he keep a secret?" he asked.

"Secret? What secret?" Kitster asked, interested.

"If we tell you, you can't tell anyone else," Luke told him. "Not even Anakin."

"No problem, I ain't telling him nothing for a while," Kitster agreed.

"Me and Leia are from the future," Luke told him.

Kitster laughed. "Is that even possible?" he asked.

"Through the Force it is," Luke told him.

"So why are you keeping this from Anakin?" Kitster asked.

"That's not what we're keeping from him," Leia told him.

Kitster frowned. "Then what?" he asked.

"He's our father," Luke told him.

"And Padmé is our mother," Leia added.

"What?" Kitster asked, dumbfounded.

"It's the truth," Luke told him. "So you see why we're telling you, you can't get in the way," he finished.

"And if you do or tell anyone, I'll be the one to feed you to the sarlacc," Leia told him.

"She would, she killed Jabba," Luke told him.

Kitster looked at them. "Yeah, only Anakin's kids would use that threat," he said and shook his head. "So why aren't you telling him?" he asked.

"It's complicated," Luke told him.

"Look my best friend just slugged me! He'll do worse if he finds out I kept this secret, I need to know a good reason not to say anything," Kitster told them.

"We're trying to save his life and the future of the galaxy. We can't do that if everyone thinks we're mad," Leia told him.

"Wait, Anakin dies?" Kitster asked.

"The Anakin you know dies during the Jedi purge," Luke told him.

"What in the seven hells does that mean?" Kitster demanded.

"Basically he crosses a line he shouldn't during that time and basically goes on a galaxy wide rampage of death and destruction," Leia told him.

Kitster laughed at that. "You're joking! You can't be speaking of Anakin Skywalker, that's impossible," he told them.

"Is it?" Luke challenged. "We lived through it. Being on opposite sides of our only living parent isn't easy," he told him.

Kitster rubbed his jaw. "What reasoning would he have?" he asked soberly.

"Our mother's death," Leia told him.

"Would he be...um...there?" Kitster asked.

Luke and Leia looked at each other before turning to him. "Why?"

"Does the name Andĕla Skywalker ring any bells?" Kitster asked. Luke and Leia shook their heads. "Andi?" he asked. Again the shook their heads. He sighed. "I'd probably get my jaw dislocated for telling you this," he said.

"Who is Andĕla?" Luke asked.

"Andi was Anakin's twin sister. She was murdered about fourteen years ago," Kitster told them. "Andi was different and I don't use that word loosely. There were something wrong with her wiring. Something wasn't right. She never spoke or did much of anything. But when someone tried to get her to do something, she start grunting, groaning humming or growling and she'd curl up and rock back and forth or she'd start hitting herself. They called her defective. Anakin was very protective of her and he was the only one who could get her to understand or do anything without doing any of that. She lived as long as she did because Shmi, their mother was good at keeping the books and for female slaves it's either dance for lewd attention and become some kungs play thing or keep the books. Shmi was the best at keeping the books which saved both Anakin and Andĕla from harm until Gardulla the hutt hired these two goons known as the Criagg brothers. The Criagg brothers were cruel, nothing could compare to them. They didn't like the respect Shmi got, they believed that slaves deserved no respect. They hated Andĕla and made sure to get rid of her and put both Shmi and Anakin in their places. They chained both Shmi and Anakin up and forced them to watch as they bludgeoned Andĕla to death with a heavy iron. Because of the messed up wiring in Andĕla's head, she thought it was a game and laughed. When she was dead, Anakin was released first before Shmi. Anakin ran over to his sister's body, hoping that she might still be alive, I don't know, but he touched her and when he held his hand up it was covered with her blood, brain matter, and matted hair. To this day I can still hear his horrifying screaming," Kitster told them.

Leia covered her mouth with her hand at hearing the horrifying tale. Luke pulled her close to him as they got a better understanding of their father and the things that drove him to the dark side.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Anakin headed Padmé off, having memorized the layout of the homestead, and ducked in a doorway and as she was about to pass him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her inside the spare room. The room that Beru insisted was his.

"Let go of me!" Padmé snapped, yanking her arm free.

"What was that about, out there with Kitster?" Anakin demanded.

Padmé crossed her arms. "Where do you get off threatening to kill people for looking at me?" she demanded.

Anakin laughed. "You don't think I'd actually kill Kitster do you?" he asked. "I told him that so he'd back off," he told her.

"I do not think this is funny," Padmé told him. "You're acting like I am your property," she told him.

Anakin frowned at that reference. "Now that was out of line," he said flatly.

"You don't want the other hounds sniffing around what you see as yours so you decide to eliminate the competition. Not only is that caveman like behavior it is no way to win my favor," Padmé told him pointedly.

"You do realize that Kitster is a smuggler, a pirate at heart, right?" Anakin demanded.

"I thought he worked here," Padmé said frowning.

Anakin snorted. "He's only been hiding out here for five months until the bounty hunters loose his scent," he told her dismissively. "I've known Kitster longer than you, I know where he stands."

"It still doesn't excuse your behavior," Padmé told him.

"Well excuse me then if I don't like my best friend hitting on you," Anakin said pointedly.

"Don't do it again," Padmé told him, turning to leave.

Anakin grabbed her arm again. "You're doing it on purpose!" he accused.

Padmé glared at him. "What is it that I'm doing?" she demanded.

"You know how I feel about you and I know that you feel the same, you can't lie to me but instead of putting us both out of our misery you're pushing me away. Don't you know that it's torture having you so close but far away at the same time?" he demanded.

"Anakin, please, stop this..." she begged.

"I told you what I'm willing to do, why can't you accept that?" he demanded.

"Anakin... it's not that easy," Padmé insisted.

Anakin stepped closer to her. "What are you afraid of?" he asked a hairs breath away from kissing her.

She didn't want to resist him, she couldn't. "Reality," she told him honestly.

"Reality be damned," Anakin told her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her.

Padmé slung her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer, ready to give her all to him in this moment. He must have read her thoughts because the heat of their kiss grew. Needing closer contact, she began to tug at his tunic. Taking the hint he broke the kiss long enough to rid himself of the garment before they toppled onto the bed situated in the room.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Kitster eyed Luke and Leia closely as they sat inside Padme's ship, having heard their story. Though much of it was unbelievable, he saw the possibility. Whistling, he spoke. "The future is as messy as Gardulla the Hutt splattered deep fried and spit out of a sarlacc," he said.

"That's a new one," Luke said chuckling.

"I learned it from Anakin. He said it oh about three years ago when we ran into each other for drinks on Corella," Kitster told him.

"What took you to Corella?" Leia asked.

"Business," Kitster told her. "By an large, means I'm considered a pirate and smuggler," he told her bluntly.

"Like Han, that's wizard," Luke said.

Leia spit out what she had been drinking. "I don't believe it! He had the nerve to say Han was unfit because he's a smuggler and a pirate yet his best friend is one," she growled.

Kitster chuckled. "Anakin's not happy with my occupation, but it helps me rescue slaves. It's my cover story. I attack slaver ships and smuggle their cargo to safety," he told them.

"That's admirable," Luke told him.

"Well, I figured it's the least I could do. While Anakin is trying to fight slavery politically on Coruscant, I'm actually out doing my share," Kitster told them. "We've kept close tabs on each other for our efforts. Personally, I have more success than him. Those damn politicians throw out every single one of his petitions," he told them. "What nettles him is that I'm getting farther than him using underhanded and illegal means while he's stuck getting nowhere by following the law, insistent that the weight of a Jedi's word is more important," he said with a crooked grin.

"So where's your ship?" Leia asked.

"It got impounded. I'm hoping that Anakin could help me out with that, besides, he owes me one," Kitster told them. "You know, he taught me everything there is to know about flying and fixing things," he told them.

Luke and Leia shrugged. "It comes naturally to us," they said.

Artoo then joined them and started beeping and whistling impatiently.

Luke sat up strait. "He has an urgent message from Obi-Wan," he told them.

"You understand that dribble?" Kitster asked.

Luke shrugged. "I had an Artoo unit just like this one," he explained.

Kitster stood, "I'll go get Anakin," he said leaving the ship and going into the homestead. After checking the garage and all the other rooms, he was about to knock on the door to the room Anakin was sleeping in when he heard the muffled sounds of groans and sighs before he shook his head. "Yeah, no chance whatsoever," he muttered under his breath before walking away, the message going to have to wait. He ran into Beru on his way out. "When Anakin emerges, tell him to go to the Senator's ship," he told her.

Beru nodded. "I will," she agreed.

Kitster gave her a nod before moving back to the ship. When he entered the ship Luke and Leia looked at him. "He's busy at the moment, he'll be out here shortly, I hope," he told them.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Anakin collapsed onto the bed, bumping against the wall next to him, moving as close to the wall as he could so that Padmé didn't fall off of the bed. "Wow," was all he could say.

Padmé nodded. "Yeah," she agreed, his poor basic rubbing off on her. She checked the crono beside her and was impressed with the fact that it was half an hour since she was pulled into this room.

"I don't think this bed was constructed for two," Anakin told her.

At that statement, Padmé burst out laughing.

Anakin shifted uncomfortably, not liking the fact that she was laughing. "It's not that funny," he told her, sitting up.

Padmé stopped laughing and sat up next to him. "I'm sorry, Ani, it's just, this bed is small period," she told him.

Anakin glanced at the bed that was on the small side. "I guess Mom was expecting a little boy," he said.

Padmé leaned against him rubbing her hand up and down his arm. "You are definitely not a little boy," she told him which earned her a smile.

"So where do we go from here?" he asked.

"I don't know," Padmé admitted.

"I can only think of one option," Anakin told her.

Padmé looked him in the eye. "I don't want you to leave the Jedi Order, Anakin," she told him.

"That doesn't leave any room for an us," Anakin told her and looked away. "Jedi can breed but they're not allowed to fall in love," he said.

"We can make it work," Padmé told him.

"How? You shot down my idea to keep us a secret," he asked.

"There is a way, Ani, I know there is," she told him.

"I don't even know where to go from here," Anakin admitted. "This is unfamiliar territory for me." he sighed. "I always believed that love was a luxury I couldn't afford and that sex is just sex," he looked at her. "But with you it's different, I feel like I'm on shaky ground. I've never loved anyone before and I certainly never considered leaving the order."

"I know the feeling," Padmé told him.

"Do you?" he asked. "Because I didn't plan for this. I didn't expect..."

"You didn't expect what?" she asked.

"That just seeing you face to face again would have this kind of impact. Up until now, it was easy to move on, but now just the thought of being without you is torture," Anakin told her. "Kitster is not going to hear about this and you can't be alone in the same room as him," he told her.

Padmé frowned. "Why are you so threatened by that?" she demanded.

Anakin looked her in the eye. "You don't know Kitster. He keeps a list and boxes full of trophies from his _conquests._ He's a complete womanizer," he told her.

"And he's your best friend, so what does that make you?" Padmé asked.

"The one who respects women and the one who has better morals. I've had to bail him out of numerous situations in the five years we've been conspiring together," Anakin told her.

"Conspiring on what?" Padmé asked.

"The freedom of the slaves," Anakin told her. "When I can't get through to the Council or the Senate, Kitster pulls through by raiding slaver skips and smuggling slaves to freedom," he finished.

"I thought you said he was a scoundrel," Padmé told him.

"He is, but he has good intentions," Anakin confirmed. "Don't repeat what I said about this operation me and Kitster have running. I still have to figure out how to get his ship out of impound," he told her.

"I won't," Padmé promised. "We should probably get dressed," she told him.

Anakin nodded and started to gather up his clothes from the floor with Padmé doing the same.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Kitster recognized the footsteps coming up the ramp of the ship before he lazily tipped his hat. "Nice of you to join us," he said.

Anakin swiped at his feet. "This ship doesn't belong to you, keep your dirty boots off the dashboard," he told him briskly.

"You'll be happy to know that the others came for her while you were doing whatever you were doing," Kitster told him.

"So she's on her way to the capital?" Anakin asked, leaning against the bulkhead.

"And to the Jedi's doorstep as you requested," Kitster told him.

"Artoo picked up a message from Obi-Wan," Luke said, looking up from the cards he and Leia were playing.

Anakin nodded to the little droid. "Lets hear it," he said.

The little droid projected the message and a miniature hologram of Obi-Wan stood before them, arms folded and his voice spoke the recorded message. "Anakin, my long range transmitter has been

knocked out. Retransmit this message to Coruscant."

Anakin sighed heavily. "Obviously he doesn't listen to me when it comes to flying," he muttered as Padmé turned and reached over the control board and pushed a button to transmit the message.

The holo recording of Obi-Wan continued. "I have tracked the bounty hunter Jango Fett to the droid foundries on Geonosis. The Trade Federation is to take taking delivery of a droid army here and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala. The Commerce Guilds and Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming an... Wait!... Wait!!" the transmission ended with Obi-Wan being attacked by Droidekas.

Anakin grimaced in agitation. "Not again," he muttered, he looked at Padmé. "See what I mean by incompetence?" he asked.

"I would have though you were his bad luck charm," Kitster told him.

The hologram changed to the faces of the council. "Anakin, We will deal with Count Dooku. The most important thing for you is to stay where you are. Protect the Senator at all costs. That is your first priority," Mace Windu ordered.

Anakin crossed his arms "Understood, Master," he said before the hologram switched off.

Padmé looked at a readout of the control panel. "They'll never get there in time to save him. They have to come halfway across the galaxy. Look, Geonosis is less than a parsec away," she said, looking at Anakin.

"You heard Master Windu. He gave me strict orders to stay here," Anakin told her.

"He gave you strict orders to protect me..." Padmé corrected him. "...and I'm going to save Obi-Wan. So if you plan to protect me, you will have to come along," she told him.

Anakin grinned. "You see that will be my reason I'll give the Council for disobeying a strict order," he told her, sliding into the pilots seat.

Kitster slid into the co pilots seat. "So the big kahunas then?" he asked.

"Got your blaster?" Anakin asked and he prepared for lift off.

"You betchya," Kitster told him. "Does this ship have guns?" he asked.

Anakin looked at him with a 'you can't be serious' look. "It's Naboo," he reminded him.

"Oh," Kitster said in understanding and turned to Padmé. "You should get guns," he told her.

"This ship is already equipped with them," Padmé corrected him. "Since the blockade, all royal cruisers are required to have them," she informed them.

"Or else you'd be forced to land on Tatooine because of a damaged hyperdrive and be forced to rely on a slave boy for help," Anakin quipped.

Padmé laughed. "I believe Qui-Gon called it the will of the Force," she reminded him.

"With Obi-Wan arguing against him," Anakin put in as they took off. "Funny, what goes around comes around," he muttered.

"You probably won't find it funny when you're the Master with a stubborn Padawan," Padmé pointed out.

"Nah, I'd enjoy it," Anakin corrected her. "What's a life without questioning things and challenging authority?" he mused.

"Here, here!" Kitster agreed.

Luke and Leia looked at each other and shook their heads. "Where's the guns?" Luke asked Padmé.

"Hey! What makes you think that you get to fire them?" Kitster demanded.

"Twenty years of experience," Luke told him calmly. "I started using womp rats for target practice in begger's canyon with my skyhopper when I was four. You?"

"Alright, you win," Kitster grumbled.

Luke turned to Padmé who nodded and lead the way to the guns.

"When do you plan on filling him in?" Padmé demanded quietly.

"I don't," Luke told her and felt her glare. "Family loyalty means nothing compared to the big picture," he told her.

"You told Kitster," Padmé pointed out.

Luke looked at her. "I didn't have a choice," he told her.

Padmé looked at him and shook her head. "That was a mistake," she told him.

"Kitster told me and Leia about what happened to Father's twin sister," Luke told her.

Padmé looked at him. "I didn't knew he had one," she told him.

"Kitster told us that he was chained and forced to watch as she was beaten to death when he was five, and that she was autistic," Luke told her.

"I can't imagine what that would have done to him," Padmé told him, horrified.

"It's the first stepping stone," Luke told her ominously.

"To what?" Padmé asked concerned.

"For Palpatine to try to convert him," Luke told her confidingly. He stopped and pulled her out of earshot. "The force brought us here for a reason and I won't fail. "Me and Leia vowed to Topple the Empire. We've sacrificed our lives numerous of times to destroy it. Here we have the opportunity to stop it's formation. We're not going to let this opportunity slip from our grasp and if that means that we must keep secrets from certain people, then so be it," he told her.

"I understand what you're doing, Luke, saving the galaxy at all costs is admirable, but don't you think that by being honest would help matters?" Padmé reasoned.

"I'm not the one trying to scare reason into him," Luke told her and looked around. "This the guns?" he asked, nodding to the downwards torrent.

"Yes," Padmé answered.

Luke nodded before he began to climb down the ladder and settled himself in the seat, familiarizing himself with the controls. "Not bad!" he called.

Padmé shook her head before she returned to the cockpit.


	20. Battle at Geonosis

**A/N:**_ I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to voice them. Check my profile if you're going to review. This is the last of the full chapters that I had finished. You're going to have to wait for the next chapter but I have already started it so rest assured.  
_

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn't really believe his luck. Usually when he ended up in situations like this, it was due to his Padawan but, obviously, having Anakin around didn't affect his luck. This just proved it, as he spun slowly, suspended in a forcefield and bound to it tightly. As he peevishly reflected on this, he noticed Count Dooku enter his cell.

"Traitor!" Obi-Wan called.

"Hello, my friend. This is a mistake. A terrible mistake. They've gone too far. This is madness," Dooku said rationally.

"I thought you were the leader here, Dooku," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"This had nothing to do with me, I assure you. I promise you I will petition immediately to have you set free," Dooku assured him.

"Well, I hope it doesn't take too long. I have work to do," Obi-Wan stated pointedly.

"May I ask why a Jedi Knight is all the way out here on Geonosis?" Dooku asked.

"I've been tracking a bounty hunter named Jango Fett. Do you know him?" Obi-Wan replied and as he spun around he saw something move above them before the form of Aaron Starkiller became visible to his eye. To Obi-Wan's annoyance, Starkiller just shook his head at him in a tisking motion and grinned.

"There are no bounty hunters here that I'm aware of. Geonosians don't trust them," Dooku replied, oblivious to Starkiller's presence.

"Well, who can blame them. But he is here, I can assure you," Obi-Wan told him.

"It's a great pity that our paths have never crossed before, Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon always spoke very highly of you," Dooku said and sighed. "I wish he were still alive. I could use his help right now," he said wistfully.

This seemed to anger Obi-Wan. "Qui-Gon Jinn would never join you," he said forcefully.

"Don't be so sure, my young Jedi. You forget that he was once my apprentice just as you were once his. He knew all about the corruption in the Senate, but he would never have gone along with it if he had known the truth as I have," Dooku told him.

"The truth?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"The truth. What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of the Dark Lords of the Sith?" Dooku asked.

"No, that's not possible. The Jedi would be aware of it," Obi-Wan denied before he recalled a conversation with Starkiller and his eyes briefly flickered to where he had seen Starkiller, but he was hiding again.

"The dark side of the Force has clouded their vision, my friend. Hundreds of Senators are now under the influence of a Sith Lord called Darth Sidious," Dooku told him and Obi-Wan grew disturbed as he recalled Starkiller mentioning that the Jedi's visions were clouded by the dark side.

"I don't believe you," Obi-Wan said, not willing to give into this game.

"The Viceroy of the Trade Federation was once in league with this Darth Sidious. But he was betrayed ten years ago by the Dark Lord. He came to me for help. He told me everything. The Jedi Council would not believe him. I tried many times to warn them but they wouldn't listen to me. Once they sensed the Dark Lord's presence, it would then be too late. You must join me, Obi-Wan, and together we will destroy the Sith," Dooku told him.

"I will never join you, Dooku," Obi-Wan told him.

Dooku turned to leave and said, "It may be difficult to secure your release," before leaving.

Once Dooku was gone, Obi-Wan searched for any sight of Starkiller but didn't see him until Starkiller jumped down in front of him. "Now do you see what I've been warning you about?" Starkiller asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dooku is lying," Obi-Wan told him.

"Unfortunately the best lies meant to entrap you are based on the truth, Obi-Wan," Starkiller told him.

"What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan demanded.

"You share something in common with your Padawan, Obi-Wan," Starkiller told him cryptically before continuing. "Dooku is the current apprentice to Darth Sidious," he informed him. "And judging by the conversation, he is ready to betray his master so he could be the master and gain an apprentice. By the looks of it he wants _you_," he finished.

"What does this have to do with Anakin?" Obi-Wan demanded.

"I can't tell you that. Not something that obvious," Starkiller told him stubbornly.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for this. Help me get out of here," he told him.

Starkiller leaned against a wall and examined his fingers. "I'm actually feeling a bit conflicted about that," he said lazily.

"What??" Obi-Wan demanded.

"I want to help you, Obi-Wan. I want nothing more than to help you," Starkiller told him.

"Then what is the problem?" Obi-Wan demanded.

"Because I finally stumbled on the perfect opportunity to teach _you _something. I can't pass this up," Starkiller told him seriously.

"What could I possibly learn by remaining the prisoner of a Sith Lord?" Obi-Wan asked exasperated.

"It's your own stupid fault that you were captured," Starkiller pointed out. "They picked up on the signal you were trying to send out when you just had to follow protocol. If you weren't such an unquestioning stickler for protocol you wouldn't be in this situation," he told him pointedly. "Dooku was a Jedi, he knew the protocol that you would follow and anticipated it after Jango Fett informed him that you were following him. They found you when you tried to contact the Council. Stupid move, Obi-Wan. Not even _I _am that careless even though I had the reputation to be careless and reckless," he explained.

"All right, lesson learned. Now free me," Obi-Wan told him.

"You see. It doesn't work that way," Starkiller told him. "I have to make sure that you really learned this lesson," he said. He then flashed him a grin. "But don't worry, I have a plan," he assured him.

"That is the one phrase that I always dread hearing," Obi-Wan groaned.

Starkiller then pulled something out from his tunic. "You're not the only one who was being careless," he said letting Obi-Wan see that he had his lightsaber.

"Give me that!" Obi-Wan ordered.

"Now, Obi-Wan. That isn't how it works is it?" Starkiller asked. "I have to lecture you first," he added grinning.

"You have a really warped sense of humor," Obi-Wan told him.

"I've been accused of worse, you know. Much of it true," Starkiller replied. He then adapted a serious pose holding Obi-Wan's lightsaber in front of him. "A Jedi's lightsaber is your life, Obi-Wan. If you loose this weapon you could be vulnerable. You life may very depend on your lightsaber..."

"You are enjoying this way too much," Obi-Wan said interrupting him.

"Is it that obvious?" Starkiller asked and didn't wait for an answer before adding. "I would have never gotten away with this as a Padawan," he finished gleefully.

"I pity your Master," Obi-Wan told him which only earned a grin from Starkiller.

"You know, Dooku is most likely very angry by now," Starkiller said. "I nabbed this when he wasn't looking," he added twirling Obi-Wan's lightsaber between his fingers. "It's funny. I don't remember Dooku being that careless. His overconfidence is most definitely his weakness," he added. "It must be a Sith thing," he mused. "Every last one of them, too overconfident in their plans and their abilities. Funny, that was the biggest mistake that they all made."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I'm going to regret asking this," he muttered. "But what is this big plan of yours?" he asked.

"Did you by chance notice the factory that is building a massive droid army?" Starkiller asked.

"That is illegal!" Obi-Wan snapped.

"They want a war, Obi-Wan. They don't care if it is legal or not," Starkiller pointed out. "I've lived through it and it wasn't pleasant. The battle that will be taking place here shortly will mark the beginning of the Clone Wars. Many Jedi will die today. I'm going to prevent a catastrophe from taking place," Starkiller told him seriously.

"And how are you going to do that?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I just located the command center that powers the droid army, very simple," Starkiller told him. "Now. I'm going to go. I'll be seeing you in the execution arena very soon," he said, reaching up to tuck Obi-Wan's lightsaber, firmly hidden in his tunic. "Good luck," he said before leaving the way he came making Obi-Wan curse the name, Starkiller.

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Anakin piloted the starship close to the ground, weaving around towering rock formations.

"See those columns of steam straight ahead? They're exhaust vents of some type," Padmé said from over his shoulder.

"That'll do," Anakin said decisively and piloted the craft straight down into a column, flying through the steam, and landing at the bottom.

As they all were preparing to leave the ship, Padmé turned to them. "Look, whatever happens out there, follow my lead. I'm not interested in getting into a war here. As a member of the Senate, maybe I can find a diplomatic solution to this mess," she told them.

"They want a war," Leia pointed out.

Anakin looked at Padmé pointedly. "And Nute Gunray is in there somewhere, you know very well that he's vowed not to rest until he has your head on a platter," he told her.

Padmé squared her shoulders. "I am not concerned about the Viceroy of the Trade Federation," she told him.

"Probably because I'll rid him of his head before he even..."

Padmé shot Anakin a stern look. "That will only start a war with the Trade Federation," she told him.

"They already want a war!" Anakin pointed out. "They wanted a war ten years ago when they invaded Naboo," he reminded her. "No our best bet is to find the droid army's command center and destroy it. Diplomacy can wait."

"I agree with Anakin," Kitster said.

"So do we," Luke said, speaking for himself and his sister.

"If you destroy the enemy's greatest threat first, it would buy us some time for diplomacy," Leia put in.

"Fine," Padmé conceded, turning to lead the way out of the ship.

Anakin turned to Kitster. "In case we're walking into a trap, try a different route in," he told him.

"Can I be creative?" Kitster asked.

Anakin grinned. "Have fun," he told him. He then turned to Luke and Leia. "Come on," he told them before following Padmé inside.

Anakin, Padmé, Luke and Leia entered the stalagmite city. They stopped for a moment, looking around in wonder at the emptiness before they continued. As they passed, the surface of the pillars seemed to pulse slowly and move. High above, winged creatures grew from the pillars and detached themselves.

Anakin stopped. "Wait," he said and turned, igniting his lightsaber in a flash, Luke and Leia following suit, as the winged creatures started to attack them. Lightsabers blazing, Anakin, Luke and Leia cut down three creatures each as Padmé exited through a far doorway. They reached Padmé and they all stood on the edge of a short walkway extending over a deep crevasse. The door behind them closed, stranding the them and the walkway then started to retract.

Anakin grabbed hold of Padmé, "Jump!" he yelled as they leaped off the retracting platform, Padmé clinging to Anakin who pulled out a grappling hook from his belt, swung it and caught it on the wall before swinging them into an open doorway. Luke and Leia following a quick suit.

They landed in an even darker and quieter corridor. Anakin motioned for them to remain low and still as he tried to sense anymore of the creatures near by. "It's safe," he said straightening up and helping Padmé up. He spotted an out of the way staircase and moved towards it, checking to see it was clear before motioning everyone to follow him. The stair case lead into an observation room consisting of a single circular table with a large holoprojector in the middle. Anakin walked over to it and started pressing a few buttons and the projections of the plans to the factory showed themselves. He pointed to a spot. "There," he said. "That's the power source and it looks delicate," he told them.

"Can you destroy it?" Padmé asked.

Anakin frowned. "I said it was delicate not easy," he told her. "They've advanced things in ten years," he muttered.

Leia walked over an examined the design. "Easy enough, we just need an explosion," she told him.

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "That might work," he said and turned to another control panel and started ripping out a few wires and circuit boards. "Problem is that we don't have any detonators so we'll have to make one," he said, pilling his scraps onto the table and quickly began to wire together the circuit boards, taking great care of which wire went were.

"How are you doing that?" Padmé asked.

"Simple, if you wire these circuit boards together in a certain way, they'll self destruct," Anakin told her.

Luke meanwhile spotted something in a dewar and nodded to Leia, plucking two lightsabers and giving one to Leia before they discretely hid them on their persons.

Unfortunately before much could be done, the door burst open and the armor clad Jango Fett showed himself.

Luke and Leia instantly ignited their lightsabers and began fighting against the bounty hunter's attacks before they were disarmed. As Luke was shoved to the ground, Anakin and Padmé were about to step in before Luke reached out his hand at the advancing bounty hunter applying the Force Choke in defense bringing the bounty hunter to his knees long enough for Leia to get up and slice off his head.

"Good riddance," Leia breathed.

Luke picked himself up and kicked the helmeted head aside. "One Fett down," he muttered.

"And Boba left to go," Leia finished.

Both twins looked at each other. "Judging by my calculations, he should only be ten right about now," Luke told her.

Leia shrugged. "Leave him for the sarlacc twenty odd years later," she said.

They then turned to see Anakin and Padmé watching them, each wearing equal expressions of shock before Anakin spoke. "Are you sure you're not leaning towards the Sith?" he asked addressing Luke who looked dumbstruck. "You just Force Choked the bounty hunter, that's a Sith power," he explained.

Luke squared his shoulders at the revelation. "When you're enemy number one and have a bounty on your head priced so high that even the Hutts would say is too much money and every Star Destroyer in the galaxy is hunting you down to eliminate you, you learn how to survive and to do whatever it takes to do so and topple the evil you swore your life to destroy," he told him.

"We were forced with a choice, stand by and do nothing, allowing the Sith to continue their tyrannical rule, destroying systems who rebelled or stand up and fight to the death to destroy them. We chose the latter, we swore a blood oath to do so. We've sacrificed what freedom we had and our own lives for the fight. We will not give up now just because our methods make you squeamish," Leia told them. She then nodded to Luke before they checked the if the coast was clear.

Padmé looked away momentarily. "I believe their story," she whispered to him.

Anakin looked at her. "What?" he demanded.

"You heard me," Padmé told him.

"Time travel is impossible," Anakin told her quietly.

"Is it?" Padmé challenged before she moved to follow Luke and Leia.

Frowning, Anakin carefully cradled the hand-made detonator within the folds of his cloak. However, they didn't get very far before they were headed off by Count Dooku and a few droidakas.

"Senator Amidala, so nice of you to grace us with your presence," Count Dooku said smoothly.

"Count Dooku," Padmé said. "I have come to negotiate," she told him.

Count Dooku smiled at her. "Negotiate?" he asked.

"You are holding a Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am formally requesting you turn him over to me, now," Padmé told him.

"He has been convicted of espionage, Senator, and will be executed. In just a few hours, I believe," Count Dooku told her and smiled.

"He is an officer of the Republic. You cannot do that," Padmé told him in regal defiance.

"We don't recognize the Republic here, Senator. But if Naboo were to join our Alliance, I could easily hear your plea for clemency," Count Dooku bargained.

"Naboo will never join forces with you, Dooku, not when you are in league with the Trade Federation. We have not forgotten their blockade and attack on a defenseless and peaceful system!" Anakin seethed.

Padmé shot him a stern look. "And if I don't join your rebellion, I assume these Jedi with me will also die?" she demanded coolly.

"I don't wish to make you to join our cause against your will, Senator, but you are a rational, honest representative of your people and I assume you want to do what's in their best interest. Aren't they fed up with the corruption, the bureaucrats, the hypocrisy of it all? Aren't you? Be honest, Senator," Dooku told her.

"The ideals are still alive, Count, even if the institution is failing," Padmé told him, her faith in the Republic and democracy never wavering.

"You believe in the same ideals we believe in! The same ideals we are striving to make prominent." Dooku persisted.

"If what you say is true, you should stay in the Republic and help put things right," Padmé challenged.

Count Dooku smiled a candy coated smile. "The Chancellor means well, Milady, but he is incompetent. He has promised to cut the bureaucracy, but the bureaucrats are stronger than ever, no? The Republic cannot be fixed, Milady. It is time to start over. The democratic process in the Republic is a sham, no? A shell game played on the voters. The time will come when that cult of greed, called the Republic, will lose even the pretext of democracy and freedom," he told her.

"I cannot believe that. I know of your treaties with the Trade Federation, the Commerce Guilds, and the others, Count. What is happening here is not government that has been bought out by business... it's business becoming government! I will not forsake all I have honored and worked for and betray the Republic," Padmé told him defiantly.

"Then you will betray your Jedi friends? Without your cooperation I can do nothing to stop their execution," Count Dooku replied.

Out of the corner of her eye, she something move before she saw who she recognized as the Jedi claiming to be Aaron Starkiller move above them. She caught the brief grin he flashed before he nodded to her, encouraging her before he disappeared from view. "And what about me? Am I to be executed also?" she challenged.

"I wouldn't think of such an offense. But, there are individuals who have a strong interest in your demise, Milady. It has nothing to do with politics, I'm afraid. It's purely personal, and they have already paid great sums to have you assassinated. I'm sure they will push hard to have you included in the executions. I'm sorry but if you are not going to cooperate, I must turn you over to the Geonosians for justice. Without your cooperation, I've done all I can for you," Dooku told her as several armed Geonosians and battle droids came out to arrest them. Dooku called Anakin's Luke, and Leia's lightsaber to his hands before they could move before they we bound and taken away.

In the scuffle, Anakin dropped the detonator and when they were taken away it was left forgotten until Starkiller dropped from an above ledge, picking it up. "Just as according to plan," he muttered before pulling the cowl of his cloak up over his head, stalking off through the deserted corridors.

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Kitster firmly held his blaster in his grip as he stealthily made his way through the corridors. So far he hadn't run into anything he couldn't blast dead. He was about to round another corner when scarred hand covered his mouth and he was pulled back and heard a scratchy voice whisper, "I have a job for you Kitster."

Kitster spun around and pointed the barrel of his blaster at the horribly scarred face half hidden under the cowl of a black cloak. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

Starkiller swiped the blaster aside but not hard enough to knock it out of Kitster's hand and pulled down the cowl of his cloak. His tsiked. "So suspicious. I know that Luke and Leia told you what is going on," he said.

Kitster lowered his blaster. "And in return I told them about Andi," he told him watching for a reaction to confirm his suspicions.

Starkiller's eyes narrowed and he frowned, stepping closer. "You had no right to do that," he seethed.

Kitster smiled. "Oops, gonna kill me for it, Anakin?" he replied.

"An execution is about to start, three corridors down is the command center that powers the droid army. Take this and make a rather large explosion," Starkiller instructed, handing him the hand-made detonator.

"Who's execution?" Kitster asked.

"Mine, Obi-Wan's, Padmé's and now Luke and Leia's," Starkiller answered. "You better hurry if you want to stop it," he told him.

"And where will you be?" Kitster asked.

"Paying a visit to the Viceroy of the Trade Federation," Starkiller told him darkly before he stalked away, disappearing in the dark corridors.

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Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation calmly sat, enjoying a delicious meal with he fellow members of the Trade Federation before he got to see the execution of his nemesis. "This day marks the beginning of a glorious era," he said gleefully. "I will finally be free of Senator Amidala."

"You think so?" came a cold voice from the shadows.

Nute and his business partners turned sharply watching the disfigured man emerge from the shadows.

"Big mistake paying for her death, Viceroy. It is unforgivable," Starkiller told him pulling out his lightsaber and as quick as a flash he ignited and severed Nute Gunray's head from it's body.

The other members of the trade federation looked on in horror.

"I suggest that you change the ways you do business or else more heads will roll," Starkiller told them, grabbing the severed head of Nute Gunroy before making his exit.

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Obi-Wan watched with annoyance as Anakin was lead out to the execution arena with Senator Amidala and Luke and Leia. All of whom were unarmed and bound tightly. "I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten my message," he said peevishly.

"I retransmitted it as you requested, Master. Then we decided to come and rescue you," Anakin told him in excuse.

"Good job!" Obi-Wan said sarcastically as he watched the others being chained to the stone pillars. His attention was then drawn to across the arena where five gates opened revealing beasts.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Anakin commented ominously.

"Nice deduction, Genius," Leia said sarcastically earning her a glare from Anakin.

"This is real nice!" Luke snapped. "Just how many times do I have to face something that likes to think of me as it's dinner?" he complained. "First a parasite on the first Death Star, then an ice beast on Hoth, then a Rancor in Jabba's palace followed by a sarlacc and now this."

"It's just your luck isn't it," Leia commented.

"There is no such thing as luck!" both Anakin and Obi-Wan snapped.

Padmé glanced at them, alarmed by this conversation as she secretly began picking at the binders around her wrists.

"I'd like to know where he is right now or is he going to let us die here?" Leia said peevishly looking at her brother.

"He has a plan, I'm sure," Luke told her calmly.

Leia snorted. "Yeah and it probably isn't in our favor," she told him.

"He's here, I don't know where, but he's here," Luke told her.

"Probably to watch us die," Leia told him.

"Seriously, Leia, can it with the mistrust!" Luke snapped.

"How can we be so sure that he isn't plotting against us?" she demanded.

"Is there any evidence that would suggest that?" Luke asked pointedly.

"How can you trust him so easily?" Leia demanded.

"Because I can feel where his priorities are and if you would calm yourself, you would feel it too," Luke told her calmly.

"Maybe your feeling hope," Leia suggested.

Luke looked at her. "Why are you arguing with me? Just because you miss Han doesn't mean that you can goad me into a fight like you can with him. My name is not Han Solo, I do not look like Han Solo and I do not act like Han Solo and if you didn't notice this before, I am _not_ Han Solo!"

"Take the one the right. I'll take the one on the left and then we'll work on helping those two," Obi-Wan instructed Anakin and nodding to the bickering jedi known as Luke and Leia.

Anakin tuned Luke and Leia out and looked at his master. "What about Padmé?" he asked.

Obi-Wan nodded in her direction. "She seems to be on top of things," he commented.

Anakin looked in Padmé's direction to see one of her wrists free and the fact that she was climbing up the stone pillar.

"Leia, do you think that you can reach the lightsaber I have hidden in my tunic?" Luke asked.

"If you can try to pry mine out of my right boot," Leia replied causing the other two jedi to look at them in surprise.

"You're armed?" Anakin questioned.

"I'm armed too," Obi-Wan informed him.

"That is just nice. I'm the only jedi not armed," Anakin grumbled and grew annoyed when Luke used the force to pry Leia's lightsaber free before handing hers to her, who cut herself free before cutting her brother free who then took his lightsaber out of his boot.

"Did your lightsaber get confiscated or did you destroy it, again?" Obi-Wan questioned.

Anakin glared at him. "Not another lecture, Master," he said.

"That is baffling. How can you be so careless with your lightsaber?" Obi-Wan snapped.

"It wasn't my fault this time!" Anakin snapped before snapping his attention the the beast that was charging at him. He would have to improvise in this situation. He watched, taking in every detail as the beast charged at him and just as the beast would have rammed into him, he somersaulted in the air before landing on the beast, yanking the chain connecting him and the pillar free. The beast didn't seem too happy to have Anakin sitting on top of it so it bucked dangerously, knocking Anakin down while the chain got caught around the beasts horns. Before Anakin could move, however, the beast started charging around the arena, dragging Anakin behind it as he struggled to hold on and to pull himself up.

"That is almost comical," Leia commented, seeing the beast take off and dragging Anakin behind him.

Luke couldn't suppress the amused smile. "It doesn't look like he's having fun," he quipped, before fending off the nasty beast that had it's eyes set on him and maneuvering himself, right next to Obi-Wan. "Where is your lightsaber hidden?" he asked.

"In my tunic. Your master seemed to find it humorous to lecture me and instead of freeing me, he made sure that I ended up out here," Obi-Wan told him.

Luke nodded. "That sounds like something he would do," he said and in a quick flash freed Obi-Wan from his binds before fending off another attack from the beast, dropping low and making a slashing movement against the beast's leg. "He didn't mention any plan?" he asked.

"Something about that droid factory and a command center. He didn't go into any details," Obi-Wan answered.

Luke frowned. "That's not very helpful," he said before somersaulting over the beast, landing on it's back before jamming his lightsaber into it's back before jumping down. "That's one down," he commented, running to help Leia defeat the beast attacking her and leaving Obi-Wan to fend for himself against his own beast which he expertly killed just as Luke and Leia both killed the other beast. Together the three of them formed a circle, each sensing more danger coming at them.

However on the other end of the arena, Anakin's beast finally settled down, giving Anakin the chance to pick himself up. Deciding to act with caution this time, Anakin slowly approached the beast, using the force to calm it before jumping and landing on it again, swigging the chain around it's neck so that he could use it as reins before finally taking control. That was when he saw the beast attacking Padmé claw at her back painfully as she fended it off. Annoyed at seeing no one helping her, he charged the beast over there, seeing Padmé kick the beast down and just as the beast was about to get up and climb back up to get to Padmé, he rammed his beast into it, keeping the beast down for an extended amount of time.

"You okay?" he asked looking up at Padmé.

"Perfect!" Padmé called down.

"Jump!" Anakin told her, waiting as she did so, landing behind him. However before any of them could move a dozen destroyers and about a hundred battle droids entered the arena, surrounding them.

Luke and Leia looked around them at the droids and raised their eyebrows at each other. "Droids?" they questioned.

"Battle droids and destroyers. Destroying a battle droid is far more easer than destroying a destroyer," Obi-Wan told them.

"Go ahead, try to poke a destroyer with your lightsaber," Anakin said.

Luke looked at him dubiously before attempting it, only finding himself unable to get near it. "This is new," he commented.

Anakin looked at him questionably for a moment. "They surround themselves with a ray shield to protect themselves. Nothing can get through it but their own blaster fire," he informed him.

"How discouraging, an indestructible droid," Luke quipped.

"They work well for the side they're serving," Leia added.

"I'm open to any plans that you might have, Anakin," Obi-Wan said.

"If I was armed like the rest of you, I would suggest aggressive negotiations," Anakin stated pointedly.

"Don't get peevish, Anakin. You would be armed if you weren't being careless," Obi-Wan told him.

"Leia, you coordinated more battles than I have, do you see an opening?" Luke asked.

"I'm looking," Leia told him.

"So am I," Luke told her.

That's when something was tossed from high up in the stands and landed at their feet. Neither Luke or Leia seemed shocked or affected when it turned out to be the severed head of Nute Gunray, the Viceroy of the trade federation. Padmé, Anakin, and Obi-Wan stared at the severed head, a little horrified at the sight. But this proved to be just the distraction they needed before a large black cloaked figure was noticed perched in a crouched position, his black cloak billowing in the wind, on a high pillar before jumping down, landing crouched in the middle of several droids. As it straightened up, it made a slashing movement, cutting down three droids at once, taking all the attention of all the droids to himself and was soon blocking blaster fire and destroying more droids.

"Nice of you to join us!" Luke called.

"I had some things to attend to first before joining you!" Starkiller replied and pulled out another lightsaber, tossing it in Anakin's direction. "Need something?" he called.

"You could have given this to me sooner!" Anakin told him, annoyed.

"And what would be the fun in that?" Starkiller questioned just as all over the arena, lightsabers were ignited. "And there is the backup!" he added.

However before a massive battle could break out between the Jedi Order and the Confederacy's droid arm, a giant explosion erupted from within the city followed by a very large puff of smoke, dust, sand and debris. A lone figure raced out covering in it and not seeming to be vary pleased. "Is that enough distraction for you?! Kitster called in agitation. "You could have blown me up too Anakin Skywalker! You owe me for that! You owe me big! I want my ship _now_!" he yelled waving an arm and pointing and kicking up sand for emphasis.

Anakin, Padmé, Luke, Leia and Obi-Wan watched Kitster's mad rant. Obi-Wan sighed deeply, Luke and Leia seemed impressed and amused but Anakin burst out laughing with Padmé soon following suit.

"I actually didn't think it would make _that_ big of an explosion," Anakin said in defense.

Starkiller, however, wasn't paying attention and instead focused on the speeder that flew away above them. "Dooku's escaping," he informed them going after the Sith, his own personal grudge against Dooku propelling him after him.

Luke and Leia looked at each other. "Uh oh," Luke said, briefly grabbing Leia's arm before they went after him. Each recognizing the single mindedness propelling their father after Dooku quite well.

"We need help them," Padmé told Anakin and Obi-Wan, leaving no room for any argument.

"Why do I get the feeling that they'll end up killing him?" Anakin asked and grimaced when he realized that he just sounded like Obi-Wan.

"I sense it, too," Obi-Wan said as they rushed off after them.

"The senate would rather Count Dooku be captured alive," Padmé told them pointedly.

"I don't think we have a choice, we just had Nute Gunray's head flung at our feet like an offering, that guy's insane!" Anakin pointed out.

"I guess torture does that to even the best of us," Obi-Wan sighed.

They caught up with Luke and Leia just after they jumped onto a gunship with a few clone troopers stationed after Starkiller and quickly followed suit in time for Starkiller to issue an order to the pilot grabbing hold of a reign hanging from the ceiling as the gunship took off.

The Gunship slowed, circling over a droid gun-emplacement. It blasted it, but suddenly the Gunship was rocked by a near miss. It lurched violently.

"Look over there..." Obi-Wan called.

Anakin turned in the direction that Obi-Wan was indicating, while Luke and Leia kept a close eye on their surroundings, weary of the clone troops surrounding them. "It's Dooku! Shoot him down!" Anakin ordered the clones.

"He'll be anticipating that, just wait," Starkiller said from his spot behind Padmé who glanced at him before looking back over at Anakin.

"Then what do you suggest?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I know where he's going, if we take a different rout we may get there before he does," Starkiller told them.

Through the other side of the gunship, they saw a Geonosian Speeder racing past. In the open cockpit was the unmistakable figure of Count Dooku.

"We're out of ordinance, sir," a clone commander told them.

Anakin glanced at Starkiller, not entirely trusting him. "Follow him!" he commanded.

"We're going to need some help," Padmé pointed out.

"No, there's no time. We're going to have to handle this on our own," Obi-Wan told her.

"Famous last words," Starkiller commented making Obi-Wan look at him. "Look," he said nodding to Dooku who signaled the two fighters flanking his ship. They veered off left and right, looped around, and came up behind the gunship. To avoid the break-wing fire, the gunship banked up a steep dune but was still hit. The ship lurched on its side, and Padmé and a clone officer tumbled out. Fortunately, before she could go very far, Starkiller reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her up.

"Are you alright?" Starkiller asked.

"I think so," Padmé answered.

Starkiller nodded, his eyes lingering on her for a brief moment, allowing her to look in his eyes, "Good," he said before turning towards the other's, moving away. "Now you're going to follow my orders," he said the the pilot. "Veer off to the right, we want Dooku to think we're going somewhere else," he commanded.

"Yes, Sir," the pilot replied, doing as he was told.

"Are you mad?! We need to follow him and stop him!" Anakin demanded incredulously.

Starkiller looked at him. "If I were you, I'd trust my judgment. I've commanded two different wars and I told you that I know precisely where he's going," he said strictly before turning to the captain. "We're going to the foreword hanger, Dooku has a personal ship parked there for his escape. Maximum speed," he commanded before turning back to the others. "Hold on," he told them as the gunship sped across the dunes

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Count Dooku pulled up into a hanger where a single person ship waited and gracefully got off of the speeder and was about to board the ship when the snap hiss a lightsaber was hear and a blue blade shimmered in the darkness and a black cloaked figure emerged, his scarred face half hidden underneath his cowl. Four other lightsabers ignited as well as four jedi followed suit.

"I should have known I would have company," Dooku said smoothly.

"You didn't actually think you would get the opportunity to leave free and clear did you, Darth Tyranus?" Starkiller asked, causing sharp glances from his fellow Jedi.

Dooku smiled smoothly. "You know who I am but I do not believe we have met," he said.

Starkiller smiled a feral smile. "Oh we've met, you just didn't survive our last encounter," he said darkly.

Dooku frowned. "Then it is true, time travel is possible," he said.

"Too bad you won't be able to share that with your Master," Starkiller told him.

Without saying a word, Dooku raised his hand and Sith Lighting shot out of his fingers straight at Starkiller who deflected it with his lightsaber before advancing on the Sith.

Dooku drew his lightsaber and blocked the attack, looking straight into Starkiller's eyes. "Perhaps the Council was misinformed, you are not what they believe," he goaded.

"If I wasn't then how did I come back here?" Starkiller challenged as their blades locked once again.

Dooku spotted Anakin attempting to stealthily advance from behind him and shot Sith Lightning at him, sending him into the wall. He saw Starkiller wince and used this distraction to disarm him and kicked him away.

Starkiller caught himself before he hit the floor, managing to land on both feet and one hand, crouched, his other hand raised to catch the sith lightning sent in his direction in the palm of his hand where it sizzled in an energy orb before he sent it back to it's owner.

Dooku, surprised for a moment, calmly stepped aside and the lightning raced past him, hitting Obi-Wan instead who balked under it's strength.

As Starkiller stood and called his lightsaber into his hand Dooku sensed a powerful feeling protectiveness and strong attachment to the two Jedi knelling down to aid Obi-Wan and Anakin and used both hands to shoot Sith Lightning at them, hitting them without either of them being prepared. He blocked the angry blade coming down on him as Starkiller charged at him.

Realizing that his opponent had more power and seemed to anticipate things better than he thought, Dooku reached out and grabbed Starkiller's wrist halting his blade momentarily, his other hand grabbed at Starkiller's throat and brought his knee up and kneed Starkiller hard in the neither regions, causing Starkiller to double over, giving him a greater advantage and raised both hands sending high voltages of Sith Lighting at him, smiling when he heard Starkiller scream in pain. Satisfied with Starkiller's weakened state, he turned in time to see Luke and Leia charging at him. Raising his hand, Dooku called on the Force to pull a large exhaust pipe from the wall and sent it at them.

Luke grabbed Leia's arm and ducked, pulling his sister down but not quick enough to keep the pipe from rolling over her.

When the pipe crashed into the wall behind them, Luke stood. "Are you alright?" he asked his sister concerned.

Leia slowly stood. "Yes," she she assured him.

Meanwhile Obi-Wan and Anakin recovered and engaged Dooku in a lightsaber battle. Dooku put his hand out and threw Anakin back into the wall again and focused on Obi-Wan as he parried Obi-Wan's attack.

"As you can see, my Jedi powers are far beyond yours," Dooku told him.

"I don't think so," Obi-Wan told him and came in fast, swinging at Dooku's head.

Dooku parried the cut easily. As they fight, it quickly becomes clear that Dooku was the complete swordsman, elegant, graceful, classical - a master of the old style.

"Master Kenobi, you disappoint me. Yoda holds you in such high esteem," Dooku said and parried another cut and then thrusts. Obi-Wan stepped back quickly, panting for breath. "Come, come, Master Kenobi. Put me out of my misery," Dooku smoothly mocked, reminding Obi-Wan of Darth Maul when Qui-Gon died.

Obi-Wan chose not to rise to to bait, and took a deep breath, got a fresh grip on his lightsaber and came in again. For a moment, he drove Dooku back. Then Dooku's superior skill began to tell again, and he forced Obi-Wan to retreat.

Dooku increased the tempo of his attack. Obi-Wan was pushed to the limit to defend himself. Dooku presses. His lightsaber flashed and wounded Obi-Wan in the shoulder, then the thigh. Obi-Wan stumbled back against the wall, tripped, and fell. His lightsaber went skittering across the floor. Dooku raised his lightsaber. Obi-Wan looked up at him helplessly. As Dooku's lightsaber flashed down Anakin Force Jumped into the path and locked his blade against Dooku's, staring icily at Dooku "That's brave of you, boy - but foolish. I would have thought you'd have learned your lesson," Dooku said icily.

Anakin gave him a mocking smirk. "I'm a slow learner," he said tightly and charged at Dooku. The force of his attack caught Dooku slightly off balance. Anakin's lightsaber flashed. Dooku drew back.

"You have unusual powers, young Padawan. But not enough to save you this time," Dooku told him.

"Don't bet on it!" Anakin told him aggressively.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called and used the force to catch his lightsaber and threw it at Anakin who caught it and ignited it in his free hand attacking Dooku, one lightsaber in the offense and the other in the defense. Dooku parried and riposted, there was no contest.

Dooku continued to lock blades until he could see an opening before slicing one of Anakin's lightsabers in half and moved to slice off a part of Anakin's arm in the process, however before he could finish it, he felt his larynx being squeezed and he was lifted away.

Anakin fell to the floor of the hanger, clutching his injured arm closely to him, biting back screams of pain.

Dooku's eyes became fixed on the advancing form of Starkiller who held his hand out as he kept hold of the Force Choke he had on Dooku, holding Dooku off of the floor. Dooku was powerless to stop him as he was weakened. His eyes were fixed on Starkiller's who held a maniacal look on his face. Dooku's eyes widened in pain as he felt Starkiller's lightsaber thrust into his chest and nearly retched as it drove deeper and upwards killing him.

Luke, Leia and Obi-Wan watched in horror as Padmé came running into the hanger with Master Yoda. Padmé ran over to Anakin as she saw him on the floor, holding his arm to his body in pain. "Anakin!" she cried and grew alarmed when she saw the bone showing through the large gash above his elbow.

Anakin's eyes were too fixed on Starkiller who stood over Dooku's body, lightsaber still ignited in his hand and breathing hard, shock evident on his face before Starkiller turned to face him, his facial expression unreadable.


	21. Aftermath

**A/N:**_ You guys are lucky I finished this yesterday and had most of it already written. I have a lot of material written, practically half of the story is finished. So read and enjoy.  
_

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It was decided that Anakin, Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, Starkiller, and Kitster would travel back to Coruscant in Padmé's ship. The Jedi council only agreed because of Padmé's great ability to argue her opponent into a corner and even the twelve mighty Jedi masters fell to her words. Luckily for Anakin, Padmé's ship was equipped with a large medical bay big enough to fit Padmé, Obi-Wan and Kitster and more to keep Anakin company.

Refusing to ever sit still for anything in his life, Anakin settled for sitting this one moment as he held his arm close to his chest as Obi-Wan cleaned the gash and took a pair of sheers to the sleeve of his tunic, pulling the fabric off of his arm. Luke and Leia were busy piloting while Starkiller had decided to stew for some reason unknown to anyone else. Luke had assured them that he knew a trick to manipulate the hyperdrive to take them through hyperspace faster than it would normally take them and promised to fulfill it. Anakin bit back his skepticism that Luke even knew a trick like that as he silently concentrated on the Force to keep himself from wincing at any contact to the wound on his arm.

"You're lucky to still have your arm, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him.

"I need more saber practice, Dooku managed to disarm me," Anakin said pointedly.

Obi-Wan's eyes looked up at him from his concentration on Anakin's wound. "Maul disarmed me and I was older than you are now," he reminded him.

"But I'm supposed to be better," Anakin muttered.

"You are human, Anakin, and still a Padawan," Obi-Wan reminded him. "By the time you are a Master, you will be better."

"Too bad you didn't lose it, you'd have a ball with a piece of machinery attached to you," Kitster said offering his friend a playful smirk from where he stood with his arms crossed, leaned against the bulkhead and his hat tipped on his head over his eyes lazily.

For Kitster's efforts, Anakin's mouth twitched into a small smile. "It would never be perfect," he said.

Padmé shook her head as she assisted Obi-Wan in tending to Anakin. She noticed Starkiller briefly standing in the doorway, a troubled look on his face as he stared at Anakin, his eyes holding a hallow look to them before he turned away and disappeared again. "I don't think loosing a limb is something to joke about," she said softly, silently wondering what the way Starkiller looked at Anakin meant.

"Are you going to address the Senate about what happened on Geonosis?" Obi-Wan asked her.

"I have to," Padmé answered him and her eyes locked on Anakin's, seeing in his eyes his thoughts. It would be a while before they could be alone to talk about them.

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Luke and Leia flanked Obi-Wan and Anakin as they walked through the Temple towards the Healer's Ward, a Jedi Master, who they learned was Stass Allie, held a firm grasp on Anakin's injured arm, keeping it immobilized. Neither Luke or Leia would be following them if it wasn't for the fact that Stass Allie had insisted on treating them for the Sith Lighting they had suffered from Count Dooku. Obi-Wan followed, not only because of his concern for Anakin but also the Jedi Healer's insistence on treating the burns he suffered from Dooku's lightsaber and the effects of the Sith Lightning. But Anakin had the worst of it, if their father hadn't force choked Dooku, Dooku would have succeeded in taking Anakin's arm. Instead, Anakin bore a rather large and nasty gash that just barely missed bone. But neither twin said much, each disturbed with the manner in which their father had killed Dooku. Dooku could have been taken into custody, but that didn't satisfy their father. No, their father had force choked Dooku, lifting him in the air with the Force and impaled Dooku through the chest with his lightsaber. Luke and Leia weren't the only ones disturbed in that hanger. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan were as well. Their father must have felt some guilt over it, or else he wouldn't have reacted so terribly after making the kill and as soon as they arrived at the Temple, he had disappeared.

Luke and Leia's musings were interrupted once they entered the healers ward and Anakin caught something in a room that they were passing. Something that upset him.

"Mom?" Anakin said urgently and started getting distressed when he saw that she wasn't moving forcing everyone to stop. "Mom!" and when Stass Allie tried saying something and urged him forward, he struggled against her. "No! Let me go! Mom!"

"Worry about her later, Padawan Skywalker!" Stass told him sternly.

"No! That's my mother!" Anakin snapped, pulling himself away, pulling and twisting his injured arm in the process, and when he felt the wound tearing, he grit his teeth, emitting a painful cry, balking from the pain.

Obi-Wan was there instantly, grasping Anakin's shoulders, forcing the younger man to look him in the eye. "Anakin, calm down!" he ordered.

"She's not moving!" Anakin told him.

"She's alive and obviously recovering from something," Obi-Wan told him. "Right now you need to let Master Allie take care of your arm. Once she has finished, you can go in and stay with your mother for however long you need. Can you do that?" he told him reasonably.

"She needs me," Anakin told him urgently.

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding. "I understand. But think. She would want you to have that arm taken care of most of all," he reasoned.

Anakin looked in the direction of his mother, struggling with his need to be with her and what he knew that she would want him to do first before nodding. "She would expect nothing less," he said.

Leia tore her eyes away to see the disapproving look that Stass Allie threw in both Obi-Wan and Anakin's direction and remembered how emotional attachments were forbidden according to the Jedi Code. She looked back at Anakin, wondering how someone ruled by his emotions could take having to obey this rule. _He couldn't. This rule only added to his resentment to the order and helped Palpatine to lure him to the dark side_, she reminded herself. It pained her to know that Anakin, who cared so much about everyone around him, who would do anything for them, seeing the good person that he was, would end up turning into Darth Vader, a ruthless and cold blooded cyborg. Leia turned and met Luke's questioning eyes, beginning to see what he saw and then he gave her a look of understanding. He read her so easily, always had, and because it was him, it didn't bother her. Luke nodded to her, giving her the go ahead to do what he knew she needed to do and she did just that. But not before hearing Stass Allie tell Obi-Wan that he needed to stop indulging Anakin and for Obi-Wan to argue in Anakin's defense, telling her, very sternly, that Anakin lived outside the bounds of any normal Jedi and should be exempted from the rules at this very instance. A conversation that made Leia wonder just how much her father's fall to the dark side had affected him since he seemed to care very much for her father.

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Leia found her father, isolating himself in his room and brooding, making her pause for a minute, considering trying this conversation at a different time but such a move was out of character for her. Something that Luke understood and knew very well. She was not afraid of confrontation with moody men. She dealt with Han for quite some time and she had dealt with the other Imperial Senators during her brief time in the Senate. She was quite capable of handling this confrontation. She was her father's daughter after all. And it was that thought that made her pause again, briefly wondering when she had stopped thinking of herself as the daughter of Bail Organa and more of the daughter of Anakin Skywalker.

It was with this new thought that froze her. She had sworn to always think of herself as Bail Organa's daughter and she feared that with this new thought process that she was betraying the man who raised her, who loved her as his own, who took care of her as a child. She held herself so high just by the fact that she was the daughter of Bail and Breha Organa, but now...now wasn't the time to question herself.

_It wasn't too late to turn around._ Leia frowned at that thought and squared her shoulders for the upcoming confrontation and knocked on the door.

"What do you want?" Starkiller demanded opening the door and changed his hard expression when he saw Leia standing there. "Shouldn't you be at the medical bay?" he demanded.

"Shouldn't you?" Leia asked, remembering how Dooku attacked him with Sith Lightning.

"I don't need anyone to tell me how to treat the effects of Sith Lightning," Starkiller told her, stepping out of the room. "Now why are you here instead of the medical bay? I sincerely doubt that Stass Allie let you go this fast," he asked.

"I want to know why you're so upset over the results of the battle," Leia told him, taking a seat on the couch with a stubborn set to her shoulders, a gesture that she had inherited from her mother.

Starkiller took a seat opposite of her on the coffee table. "You're as stubborn as your mother about certain things," he told her.

"And you're avoiding the question," Leia told him.

"I'm not going to answer it until I've worked things out in my head," Starkiller told her as he grabbed hold of her left arm and rolled the sleeves up revealing a rather nasty burn from her wrist to her elbow she received from when that pipe rolled over her, the movement of fabric against it making her wince. "This is a second degree burn, you need to have it treated," he told her.

"I don't see why you're upset, a war was prevented and Dooku is dead," Leia told him.

"Dooku was supposed to die three years from now, this is a grave disruptance to the timeline," Starkiller told her.

"Why is that?" Leia asked.

"Because about a month after I defeat Dooku and kill him on the Invisible Hand over Coruscant, I take his place as Palpation's new apprentice," Starkiller told her.

Leia finally understood. "How do we stop it?" she asked.

"We find a way to drive a wedge between myself and Palpatine and we're going to need incriminating evidence against him," Starkiller told her. "And just saying that Palpatine is corrupt and an evil parasite isn't going to do anything to help us," he told her.

"If I hear about how gracious and benevolent Palpatine is, I cannot promise you that I will not say anything to counter that," Leia told him and caught the smile that he tried to hide.

"Your sharp tongue must have frustrated Organa to no end," he commented.

Leia didn't confirm or counter his assessment. "But you find it amusing," she stated.

"It has always been amusing and intriguing to me," Starkiller told her.

Leia eyed him. "Why?" she asked.

Starkiller let go of her arm and stood, walking towards a cabinet from which he pulled a first aid kit before returning and opening it. "A healer would never admit to this due to his preference to creams, but bacta does wonders on burns," he told her, unscrewing a jar of bacta.

"You're avoiding the question," Leia told him, getting an unfamiliar feeling from him as well as his reluctance to admit to it.

"Your mother can argue her point eloquently, tactfully, and never upset someone by saying the wrong thing. She knew how to appeal to one's sensibilities and somehow sensed what words would upset her opponent and always avoided saying it. That is where we're different. When I knew without a doubt that I was right and my opponent was wrong, I not only backed my arguments up with logic but I was insistent in making my opponent feel like an idiot while doing it. And if someone was right and I didn't want to admit to it, I denied it," he told her. "You get your sharp tongue from me, in fact it is eerily close to mine. Organa may have been able to hide your birth and adoption records, but anyone who knew both myself and you your mother personally would be able to tell that you were ours," he told her.

"So you've always known?" Leia asked, not knowing how to deal with that if it were true.

"I didn't put two and two together until the battle over Endor," Starkiller told her, "When I saw in Luke's mind how he felt towards you," he said honestly as he rubbed some bacta on the burn on her arm.

"But you just said..."

"Willful ignorance. I didn't want to even consider the possibility because if I did then my very existence at the time would be based on the cruelest lie," he told her.

"What kind of lie?" Leia asked.

Starkiller looked up at her, about to answer her when he saw blood oozing down the side of her face. "You're bleeding," he said concerned, reaching over to find where the blood was coming from, finding a gash at the crown on her head.

"I am?" Leia asked confused.

This only gave him even more concern. "You don't feel that?" he asked.

"I just have this massive migraine and I feel a little lightheaded, but that could be due to my lack of sleep and...now the room is spinning," Leia told him just before she slumped over.

"Leia!" Starkiller called alarmed, catching her before she fell over. He pulled her slumped form over to him where her head just rolled over his arm. He patted the side of her face in an attempt to bring her back to awareness. "Leia, open your eyes!" he said, getting scared when the last of consciousness left her. He gathered her small frame into his arms and stood up, leaving the quarters to rush her back to the medical bay, cursing her for not staying there in the first place.

Upon his arrival there, he only found one free healer and quickly strode over to her. "She needs attention fast, Bant!" he told the Mon Calamarian healer, in his worry forgetting that he wasn't supposed to show any familiarity with anyone.

Bant turned around, quite surprised to see him standing behind her with Leia in his arms. Not questioning him, she turned her attention on Leia, "Set her down," she instructed.

"She has a gash at the crown of her head. She most likely received that on Geonosis. She seemed fine up until she collapsed," Starkiller told her worriedly.

Bant did a cursory examination of Leia's head. "There's a rivet stuck in her scalp and it looks deep," she told him. "I'm going to have to take her into surgery right away, I'll let you know when I'm done," she finished.

"You are going to have fight me if you think that I'm leaving," Starkiller told her determinedly.

Bant looked at the serious expression on his face. "Very well, but you're going to have to assist me," she conceded before noticing the bacta that had been rubbed over a second degree burn but didn't say anything to that.

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Starkiller remained vigilant by Leia's side and three hours after surgery she had yet to open her eyes. There wasn't much they could do until she woke up. There was no way of determining just what damage, if any, had been done to her brain by the rivet until she was awake.

Taking a seat next the bed that Leia was resting on, he took her hand in one of his and used his other hand to brush a strand of hair away from her face. He cursed himself for not seeing this coming. He should have left her to assist Master Yoda instead of letting her tag along to apprehend Dooku. She was in no way ready to face a Sith. He knew better than that.

"You're blaming yourself, again. No matter how many times people tell you not to do that, you have yet to listen to a word anyone has to say. Why is that, Anakin?" Bant's voice asked, startling Starkiller who turned to look at her in shock.

"You know who I am?" he asked in shock.

"I saw your arrival through the force during my meditation, that and Qui-Gon visited me and spoke to me about what I saw," Bant explained.

Starkiller chose to ignore the comment about Qui-Gon and turned back towards Leia. "You can't tell anyone about what you know, Bant,"

"I don't intend to as there really isn't anyone who would believe me. Does Obi-Wan know?" she asked.

"No, and don't even think about telling him," Starkiller answered.

"I would have thought that you would have told him seeing as how you seem to enjoy torturing him. He's had nightmares about having two Anakin Skywalkers running around him," Bant told him.

That betrayal of confidence put a momentary smile on Starkiller's face. "He has?" he asked, the very idea becoming very intriguing.

"You don't seem to have changed a bit," Bant said shaking her head. "You care a great deal for her," she said, looking at Leia.

"Just how long do I have to wait for her to wake up?" Starkiller asked, ignoring the comment.

"Head injuries are tricky, Anakin, it's hard to tell. It may take days, months or years," Bant told him. "I don't think that I need to tell you how serious head injuries are. You saw how deeply imbetted that rivet was into her head."

Starkiller nodded his understanding. "Do me a favor, send someone to fetch her brother, he's using the name Luke Lars," he requested.

"I'll see what I can do. You should try talking to her, it helps," Bant told him as she left.

Once she was gone, he focused once more on Leia, clasping both hands around her smaller hand, lifting it to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "Leia," he whispered her name softly. "Your name alone should have been enough to open my eyes the moment that I was first in your presence. Do you even remember that day? I remember that day. I had closed my heart the day that I faced your mother's funeral, she still looked pregnant even then. I had no reason to believe that there was a chance that you had survived where she had not. But when I saw you, learned of your name, and heard you speak, I refused to even consider the possibility that my heart was trying to tell me. Being in the same room as you was too painful for me. I was willing to do anything to rid myself of that pain and I know that you could never understand that or forgive me for what I've done to you," he began and took a deep breath. "The moment that I learned that I was going to be a father, I had this image in my head of what you would be, I even named you after the sister I failed to protect. When I believed you were gone, it left this hole inside me. Dreams of you haunted me every night. I already lost you once, Princess, don't make me loose you again, so you need to open your eyes."

"Is she alright?" Luke's alarmed voice asked from the doorway.

"I'm not sure," Starkiller answered worriedly. "What did Bant tell you?" he asked looking at him.

"Bant?" Luke asked confused.

"Red Mon Calamarian," Starkiller gave his son the hint.

"Oh, her," Luke said nodding. "She told me about the rivet," he said walking over to his sister. "She was fine not too long ago," he said disbelievingly.

"Head injuries are tricky. In some situations, a person could have had nails embedded in their brains and never even feel it and they will go undetected for years," Starkiller explained. "We removed the rivet without causing further injury, but now we have to wait until she wakes up to know the full extent," he told him.

"She'll be fine," Luke told him with confidence.

"Can you sense that through your bond?" Starkiller asked.

"It's too foggy, but I don't think that she is in much danger," Luke told him, taking a seat in a different chair.

Starkiller nodded in understanding. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Better than I felt over Endor," Luke answered.

Starkiller nodded. "Good."

"I think that one of those battle droids got Leia in the back back in the arena," Luke told him.

"You think?" Starkiller rose an eyebrow.

"Well she did fall down once and cried out before she got back up and went after a specific droid," Luke told him.

"We'll see about that then," Starkiller told him, turning Leia on her side so that he could take a look at her back to treat that wound and let out an exasperated sigh at the sight of a tattoo on her lower back before finding the mark left by a blaster just below her left shoulder blade. "Hand me that bacta," he said, holding out his hand for the jar which was promptly handed over. "The blaster fire just grazed her, a couple bacta treatments will take care of it," he said, applying some bacta to the mark before laying her back down.

"You're really worried about her, aren't you?" Luke asked, looking at him.

"Are you asking me that out of general concern for my state of mind or are you hoping to be the voice of assurance to mask your fear of losing her?" Starkiller asked.

"I..." Luke wasn't sure how to answer that. "We've only known that we were related a couple days before Endor," he said, hoping that it was all that he had to say.

"I know," Starkiller assured him taking a seat. "I imagine that it was very disruptive for you both to be separated," he said.

Luke nodded. "I used to watch the suns set out on the farm trying to figure out why I felt incomplete. There were nights when I watched the stars that I felt something out there, someone across the stars who was feeling the same thing. I tried to talk to Uncle Owen about it but he didn't want to listen and insisted that it was all in my head. Aunt Beru was different though, she promised me that I would understand someday," he said, looking out the nearby window to watch the repulser traffic.

"My mother used to do the same thing from time to time," Starkiller told him. "She was a twin as well and when she thought that I was in bed asleep, she would stand outside searching the stars for my uncle. I asked her about it once when I was eight, she just told me that the stars connected them together and that one day the stars will align themselves and that would be the day when her missing half would return to her."

"But they didn't," Luke said, knowing the sad story.

"I'm not the only one who felt her death. When your twin dies, it has a physical and psychic affect on you. I remember being deathly ill for weeks when mine died," Starkiller told him. "You shouldn't worry about feeling like that. If Leia doesn't regain consciousness within the next two days on her own, there are drugs that can be administrated to ensure that she does."

Luke nodded, trusting him on that. "So this twin thing is a strong gene?" he asked instead.

"On my mother's homeworld, it is extremely rare to not be born with a twin. We're also long lived, a ripe old age there is close to two hundred standard years, or so I've been told," Starkiller told him offhandedly.

"Compared to Master Yoda, thats young," Luke quipped.

"Master Yoda is an unknown, I still don't know what species he hails from," Starkiller told him seriously.

Luke smiled in spite of his mood. "Any other things that makes us different?" he asked.

Starkiller rubbed his face with his hand. If anyone had told him five years ago that he would be having a discussion of roots with his son, he would have killed whoever dared to say something of the likes without a second's thought. He glanced over at Luke, wondering how he could be so positive about everything, how he could try to look at the good side of things and insist on remaining on positive subjects even in the face of destruction and tragedy. He reasoned that Luke received all the best qualities that his mother possessed. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

Luke looked at him, sensing his father's reluctance to continue down the current topic which was a little confusing, but he chose not to press the issue. "Yeah, sure," he answered.

Starkiller stood up then, suddenly eager to leave the room. "I'll just see whats being stored in the kitchen," he said, leaving the room.

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Obi-Wan rubbed his beard with his hand after his conversation with Bant. Hearing about the serious injury that Leia was suffering from bothered him greatly. He couldn't explain it, but he felt some sort of bond with the girl, like he knew her. But it was more than that, she reminded him too much of his Padawan, albeit, a bit more level-headed, but the likeliness was there. Obi-Wan knew, also, of the bond that Anakin was denying between him and Leia, which is why he was coming to find Anakin, finding him where he knew he'd be.

Anakin sat at his mother's bedside waiting for her to wake up. "How is she?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Master Allie explained that she's in a healing trance and shouldn't wake up for a few days," Anakin told him.

"Then shouldn't you be resting in your own bed?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I want to be here when she wakes," Anakin told him simply and then looked at him. "Why are you here, Master?" he asked. "Does the Council require something?"

"I just had a conversation with Bant," Obi-Wan told him.

"And?" Anakin asked.

"She just had to preform surgery on Leia," Obi-Wan told him. "Anakin, when Dooku threw that exhaust pipe towards her, a rivet pressed itself into her head, Bant had to remove it," he informed him.

"Is she alright?" Anakin asked, unable to hide his concern.

"There is a fifty/fifty percent chance that she will wake up and even then, there is no telling what damage was done to her brain from the injury," Obi-Wan told him.

Anakin looked troubled at that piece of information. "She'll wake up," he said.

Obi-Wan looked at him. "How can you be sure?" he asked.

"It's a matter of sheer force of will, she has that," Anakin observed.

Obi-Wan offered a brief smile. "So do you, Padawan," he reminded him.

There were a few times when Anakin minded being called Padawan, but this wasn't one of them. "If you say so," he said. He turned back to his mother. "I don't know what would happen if I lost her," he said.

Emotional attachments were forbidden, Obi-Wan knew that. But Anakin formed them before he came to the temple and he fared well with them, he did his duty without question despite that breech to the code. That was why Obi-Wan dismissed the attachments his padawan had formed before becoming a jedi. "I am sure that she will come out of this just fine," he said. "You're tired, you should get some sleep." It wasn't a command, it was a suggestion.

"But..."

"She won't wake up for a few days, you know that. There is no use in depriving yourself of the rest you need any longer," Obi-Wan told him.

"Yes Master," Anakin said, slowly standing and allowed his master to escort him to his own bed.


	22. Shmi

**A/N:**_ I'd like to thank my beta reader amthyst_fire for her help with getting my chapters out. This chapter was parctically already written. I just took a collection of scene that I had already written before I compiled them together. So enjoy.  
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Luke was midway through the snack that his father had taken from the kitchen when he noticed that his father wasn't eating and was, instead, sitting at a terminal reading something over. "Aren't you hungry?" he asked.

"I'll eat later," Starkiller told him as he read over this information on the terminal.

"What are you reading then? Something to help Leia?" Luke asked.

"I sliced into the Temple archives to see what the Council doesn't want the majority of the Order to know," Starkiller told him.

Luke did a double take. "You're a slicer?" he asked, surprised to know about that particular skill.

Starkiller somewhat smiled. "You've never done it?" he replied.

"I generally stay away from illegal activities," Luke told him which earned him a wry look.

"A Rebel obeying the law? How exactly does that work anyway?" Starkiller retorted.

Luke frowned as he thought about it. "I stay away from illegal activities for personal gain," he amended.

"You can tell the truth you know. I won't fault you for it, especially if I had already done it," Starkiller told him without looking at him.

"I honestly didn't break any laws until I left Tatooine to join the Alliance," Luke told him.

"I'm disappointed then," Starkiller told him seriously making Luke frown.

"That's a little backwards," Luke commented.

"Only if you were breaking Republican laws," Starkiller told him, collecting two test sticks and two tacks.

"But you enforced the Imperial laws," Luke pointed out. "What are those for?" he asked, eying the test sticks.

"I want to know how high your midi-chlorian count is," Starkiller told him.

"My what?" Luke asked blankly.

Starkiller stared at him. "Didn't Master Yoda teach you about midi-chlorians?" he asked incredulous.

Luke scratched his head. "Uh...no," he said.

"Its staggering how you can be expected to rebuild the Jedi Order without knowing about midi-chlorians," Starkiller commented.

"What are they?" Luke asked.

"Midi-chlorians are microcosmic organisms that live in our blood, enabling us to touch the Force. The higher your count, the more abilities with the Force that you have. I have the highest count in recorded history," Starkiller answered him.

"So how do you test for them?" Luke asked.

"Easy," Starkiller said, taking Luke's hand and pricking one of his fingers.

"_Ow_!" Luke yanked his hand away.

"It doesn't hurt that much," Starkiller said dismissively, taking a smear on a test stick from Luke's bleeding finger. He then did the same to Leia and fed the test sticks into the terminal. "The average Jedi's count is around ten thousand," he continued and smiled. "You and your sister's count is twenty thousand and seven hundred, seven thousand below mine," he informed him.

Luke came over to read the terminal which compared his and Leia's count next to their father's. "So that makes us...?"

"The most powerful Jedi to exist," Starkiller finished for him. "Now you know why the emperor was so threatened by you," he told him, looking at him.

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When Shmi Skywalker-Lars came to, she felt extremely groggy. As her eyes began to focus, she received her first look at her surroundings. She wasn't in that hut and bound tightly anymore, but where she was now was completely unfamiliar to her. Her sense of panic nearly took over. Where was she? She tried to move but her muscles protested at the slightest movement. Wherever she was, it couldn't be Tatooine. The room she was in was too modern and clean to be anyplace on Tatooine. She turned her head to get another look around before she spotted the young male figure slumped in a chair next to her, sleeping. He was dressed in very simple clothing, a pair of dark brown trouser, tall boots, and a thin light tunic where the right sleeve had been removed. She took note of the thick bandaging just over his elbow peeking out of the sling that immobilized his arm. She eyed this young man closely, briefly wondering why he was sleeping in an uncomfortable position, injured, next to her. He couldn't have been no older than nineteen or twenty. Then it came to her and she took in every detail of his sleeping face. "Ani?" she whispered softly. She needed to know if she was right and that this was her little boy but she didn't want to disturb him. Then he shifted in his sleep as though he was trying to get comfortable. Before he mumbled something. Shmi listened closely as he mumbled again, this time making out one simple word. "Mom". It _was _her Ani.

A loud crash echoed from another room and Anakin startled awake, instantly becoming alert. Shmi watched as he pushed himself up from the chair that he had been sleeping in with one hand and moved towards the door, stopping in the doorway and looking up and down the corridor for a moment before relaxing and turning around, noticing that she was watching him. She saw the relief wash over his face before he was back at her side, almost instantly. "Ani?" she whispered.

"Shh, you're safe now," he assured her as though sensing her fears. He pulled the chair that he had been sleeping in closer to her bed and sat down facing her before taking her hand his his left one. He brought their joined hands up and kissed her knuckles. "I've missed you," he told her.

Shmi smiled, truly smiled. "I've missed you too, Ani," she told him. "Where am I?" she asked.

"The Jedi Temple's infirmary on Coruscant," Anakin told her. He didn't mention how she got here, he didn't even want to think about why Starkiller took her from Tatooine or what he had hoped in gaining. Anakin's suspicions outweighed whatever gratitude he would have. "I've never been so scared in my life," he admitted. "For a minute I thought that I would lose you."

"You're not going to lose me, Ani," Shmi told him. Her eyes then flickered to Anakin's injured arm. "You're injured," she said, concern lacing her voice.

"I'm fine, I'm more concerned about you," Anakin told her.

Before another word was spoken a dark skinned female Jedi walked in and tisked. "Anakin Skywalker, have you been in here all night?" she demanded.

For a moment Anakin looked chagrined. "Maybe," he said, looking at the other Jedi.

"I will be speaking to Obi-Wan about this, Anakin. You need to spend some time in your own bed and sleeping in chairs cannot be all that comfortable," the Jedi admonished.

"Yes, Master Allie," Anakin replied. Although meant to be polite, his tone had an undercurrent of annoyance.

"Now kindly let me have a look at that arm, it's time for another bacta treatment," Stass Allie commanded.

Anakin stood up, releasing his mother's hand, and took a seat on a stool across the room. Shmi watched as the Jedi healer carefully removed the sling that his arm was in before removing the now dirty bandages. There was a now closed up gash that ran almost halfway through his arm right above his elbow.

"Are you keeping your arm immobilized as instructed?" Stass asked.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied.

Stass eyed him critically. "I know how you like to overdo things, Anakin," she said.

"I'm following instructions," Anakin told her.

"See that you do," Stass told him strictly. "Obi-Wan was by earlier to check on you but you were sleeping at the time," she told him.

"Because of the heavy antibiotics you have me on," Anakin told her.

"He said that the Council has ruled to exempt the two of you from active duty until your arm has properly healed," Stass told him, ignoring his comment.

"Both of us?" Anakin asked skeptically. "I expected that for me but Master Obi-Wan wasn't injured on Geonosis," he finished.

"Obi-Wan wanted to oversee a few things here, one of them being you," Stass told him. "He has a trip to Ilum scheduled so that you could construct a new lightsaber, but that will not be until a few weeks," she added as she applied more bacta to his arm and bandaged it up before helping him put it back in the sling. "Now, I expect to find you in your own bed next time," she commanded.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied, standing up.

Stass then turned her attention to Shmi and smiled. "You, Milady, have someone very special looking out for you," she said. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Shmi was quiet for a moment as she formulated a response, unaccustomed to the way that the Jedi were treating her.

"It would be a waste of time to be anything but completely honest," Anakin said knowingly.

"And you know so much of that subject, Anakin," Stass said looking at him for a second.

"Well..."

"I am a little sore," Shmi said finally.

"That is to be expected after what you had been through," Stass told her empathetically. "To be sure that there are no longer any lasting effects, I would like to keep you here for a few days," she added. She then turned her attention back to Anakin. "You have one hour here, Anakin, before I'm going to have you escorted back to your own bed," she said sternly.

"That isn't necessary, I know my way," Anakin told her.

"I would be more convinced if you actually stayed in bed," Stass told him sternly. "One hour," she repeated, taking her leave.

Anakin was already formulating a plan to escape the escort when his mother spoke.

"She was rather strict," Shmi said.

"Jedi masters are always strict. Master Allie is nothing compared to the other masters on the Council," Anakin told her, retaking his seat next to her.

Shmi smiled. "I'm sure that they have their reasons," she said.

"Sometimes," Anakin agreed.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked.

"I nearly lost it in a lightsaber duel with a Sith," Anakin answered. "It's really not that big of a deal," he added as he sensed his mother's concern. "I'm healing and if I did lose it, it could have been replaced with a prosthetic. The Republic has much more advanced medical technology than what we've seen on Tatooine," he told her.

"That is good to hear," Shmi told him.

"Cliegg is on his way here, ready to take you back to Tatooine," Anakin told her after a moment's pause.

"You know about Cliegg?" Shmi asked surprised.

"I was on Tatooine recently to see you and I met him," Anakin told her.

"I wish that I could have been there when the two of you met," Shmi told him regretfully.

"He seems like a good man," Anakin said.

Shmi smiled. "He is a good man," she told him. She then saw him look away. "Ani, what is it?" she asked.

"I don't want you to go back to Tatooine," Anakin told her bluntly.

"Anakin..."

"You could stay here on Coruscant where it is safe. I know someone who could help you find a place to stay and a job. You would have everything that you would need," Anakin told her.

"Ani, Tatooine is my home," Shmi told him gently.

"This could be your home. It may seem overwhelming now, but you'll get used to Coruscant," Anakin insisted.

"Anakin, you know that I can't stay here," Shmi told him.

"You can," Anakin told her.

"I can't just abandon my life on Tatooine, Anakin," Shmi told him.

Anakin looked down momentarily. "What if I can convince Cliegg to stay here with you?" he asked.

"We can't just abandon our responsibilities on the farm, Ani," Shmi told him.

"What about me then? We haven't been together in ten years. I can't guarantee that I will be able to come to Tatooine whenever I want to see you," Anakin told her.

"I know and that breaks my heart too, Ani," Shmi told him.

"Then why can't you consider staying?" Anakin asked.

Shmi didn't have any simple words to answer this. She didn't want to say no to him but she knew the reality of the situation, even if Anakin was ignoring it. She was however saved from answering him when another man, slightly older than Anakin, walked in.

"I hate to break this up, Anakin, but I have orders to bring you to your own room to rest," Obi-Wan said.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied standing up. "I'll be back in the morning," he said looking at his mother.

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Shmi awoke again and saw a crono on the wall and saw that it was still early in the morning. She tried moving again but doing so was a chore. Sighing, she resigned to the fact that for now she would have to have some help moving around. She was about to close her eyes again when she noticed the door to the room opening and saw Anakin enter, pushing a hovercart laden with food on it. "Good morning," she said smiling.

"Are you hungry?" Anakin asked.

Shmi looked at the food on the hovercart and realized that she was, in fact, very hungry. "I am in fact," she answered.

"Good because we need to eat this before Master Allie catches us," Anakin told her, setting the hovercart next to her bed and pulling up a chair on the other side.

"We're not allowed to eat?" Shmi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Only Infirmary nutrients, the healers say that it's supposed to help us heal, but it tastes horrible," Anakin told her. "I always get up early and sneak into the kitchen to grab something that tastes good before I'm forced to eat what Master Allie wants me to eat, by then I'm usually full and push it away, feigning having no appetite," he told her.

"I see," Shmi said. "Has it occurred to you that the healers have good reasons?" she asked.

"Reasons or not, it's not entirely that well founded. I've researched it," Anakin replied, pouring himself a blue liquid into two cups from a pitcher, before helping her to sit up, seeing that she was having some difficulty.

"And you believe that you know more than the healers?" Shmi asked.

"Master Obi-Wan used to assign me medical duties to teach me humility," Anakin told her. "I don't think he even thought that I might like it," he added.

Shmi raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked. "You like healing people?"

Anakin shrugged. "It comes in handy," he told her. "An occupational hazard of being a Jedi is getting injured on a mission, sometimes you have to treat wounds on the spot before you can get to a medical facility. That's why Master Yoda has it in his head that every Jedi should have some sort of medical training during their training," he explained.

"Master Yoda?" Shmi asked.

"Master Yoda is the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. He's a small green troll like being who talks all backwards. And he's the best swordsman and wisest Jedi in the order, I guess that's because he is so old," Anakin explained.

"How old is he?" Shmi asked, thinking that her son was exaggerating.

"Somewhere around nine hundred," Anakin answered and he picked up a food container, frowning at the fact that he couldn't exactly dish out the food onto his plate with one hand. He set the food container back down, before picking up a spoon and dipped it into the food container before dishing out the food on his plate, little by little. He followed this with each food container on the cart before frowning once again, looking straight at his knife and fork. Too proud to ask for help, he picked up the knife and made an attempt to cut into the food on his plate, but that only pushed the food around on his plate.

Shmi watched this, before reaching over and placing a hand over his. "Here, Ani, let me," she said.

"I can do it," Anakin insisted, and continued to make an attempt to cut his food.

"It's useless to do so with just one hand," Shmi told him, taking the knife from his hand and picked up a fork at his side before cutting the food into bite sized pieces before setting the knife and fork down. "Now was that really so bad?" she asked.

"I'm used to doing things on my own," Anakin told her, picking up his fork.

"I'm sure you are, Ani, but if you need help, there is nothing wrong with asking for it," Shmi told him, dishing herself out something to eat, finding unfamiliar things on the menu. "What is all this?" she asked.

"Well, the familiar stuff is bantha breakfast brisket. We got muja muffins, they have muja fruit and nuts in them, they're pretty good, they're also nutritious. A nuna omlette with some meats, cheeses and mushrooms, I snuck some of it before it can be served," Anakin explained.

"Well, it looks and smells delicious," Shmi said. "Who does the cooking?" she asked.

"Well, mostly temple droids. But a number of Jedi enjoy to cook and get in the kitchen every so often," Anakin answered.

"Do you?" Shmi asked.

"Occasionally," Anakin answered, as he started eating.

Shmi smiled, as she picked up one of the muffins and tried it, finding that she liked it. To her, no matter how this came about, being able to share a meal with her son was like a dream come true and she wished that there would be many more, but knew that there wouldn't be unless Anakin was able to come to Tatooine. "Do you just cook for yourself or is there people that share a meal with?" she asked.

Anakin shrugged. "Mostly it's just me and Obi-Wan," Anakin began.

Shmi looked at him. "Is he the man who tore you out of here last night?" she asked.

"Yeah," Anakin answered. "Obi-Wan is what is largely referred to as my Master, a mentor and teacher," he told her.

"What about Qui-Gon? Doesn't he teach you?" Shmi asked.

Anakin focused his attention on his meal. "Qui-Gon died shortly after we left Tatooine. He was struck down in a duel. Obi-Wan had been his apprentice at the time and promised him to train me," he told her.

"I didn't know," Shmi said, seeing that Qui-Gon was a sore subject. "Are you close to Obi-Wan?" she asked.

"Like family," Anakin told her, looking up. "Although he has a tendency to be a little too serious," he added, offering a wry smile.

"What do you do to the poor man?" Shmi asked, dreading the answer.

Anakin gave her the 'who me' look. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he told her seriously.

"What would he say if I asked him?" Shmi asked.

"Obi-Wan has a warped sense of reality," Anakin told her, going back to his meal.

As they finished their meal, Anakin looked over to the window and nodded to it. "Look at that," he said, standing up to open the blinds and opened the window where a small sun shower could be seen. He reached his hand out into the rain, palm up to catch some of the raindrops before turning to face his mother who watched with curiosity. "I remember the first time that I saw rain," he said. "I wasn't sure about what it was until Master Obi-Wan explained it to me. I used to sneak out of the temple during a rainstorm to catch it in my hands to drink."

"It's been a long time since I last saw the rain. A very long time," Shmi told him.

Anakin raised his palm up to his mouth to drink the water that splashed onto his hand. "No doubt that you don't get any chances to see it on Tatooine," he commented.

"No, no chances," Shmi agreed.

"You know it rains like this every so often. The rain water is even harvested. The city's so big that every building has it's own irrigation system to harvest the rainwater. The planet's own oceans were drained and stored in tanks below the city with the water refinery harvesting it and the rainwater in order to distribute it throughout the city. Due to the city's large size, water is even recycled," Anakin informed her.

"How do you know so much?" Shmi asked, smiling.

Anakin shrugged. "Curiosity," he told her. "You know, I think Dani and Dylan might have fun in the rain," he mused thoughtfully.

"I'm sure they would," Shmi told him, unaware of where this was going.

"Then why not give them that opportunity?" Anakin asked looking her in the eye.

It struck Shmi then on where he was going with this topic and she felt totally cornered. "Anakin..."

Anakin interrupted her. "Coruscant even offers excellent schools. You can give them better opportunities here. It's even safer, what with the Jedi patrolling the streets and all," he told her.

It broke Shmi's heart in knowing that after being apart for ten years that they would have to part again, unsure of when they would see each other again next, but it broke her heart even more to have to make him come back to reality. "You know that I can't stay here, Ani," she told him.

Anakin crossed the room so that he was sitting next to her. He took her hand in his. "Why can't you admit that it _is_ possible for you to stay?" he asked.

"Ani, I know that you wish we wouldn't part again, I don't wish it either, but reality isn't me staying, you know that," Shmi told him.

Anakin was about to say something further but was prevented from doing so when an older male Jedi with a ginger beard and hair walked in.

"Ah, there you are Anakin," he said.

Anakin let go of his mother's hand and he gave Obi-Wan his full attention. "Yes, Master?" he asked.

"I see that you've been into the kitchen," Obi-Wan said, noticing the hovercart. "You know that Master Allie won't be pleased," he said. Anakin frowned so he continued. "You're lucky that I headed her off, asking her to do me a favor, before coming in here to find you and that hovercart. Now, come, Master Yoda has asked for your presence and while we're on our way there, we'll deposit this cart back in the kitchen," he informed him.

Anakin nodded. "Yes, Master," he said standing up.

"Did you notice the rain?" Obi-Wan asked. "It seems fitting that after the trials of this past two weeks that it would be washed away by nature," he said.

Anakin smiled. "My sentiments exactly, Master," he replied.

"Perhaps we could do some laps in the pool once your arm has healed," Obi-Wan suggested.

"Or we could fly?" Anakin suggested with a wicked grin.

Obi-Wan paled at the thought. "I'd rather do some laps than be subjected to your suicidal stunts," he said and when Anakin was about to open his mouth to suggest something, he cut him off. "No, I will not race with you, Anakin. Find someone else willing to do so."

"I keep forgetting that you hate flying," Anakin told him.

"I do not hate flying. What you do is not flying, it is suicide," Obi-Wan retorted and grew annoyed at seeing the well hidden smirk on his Padawan's face. He turned towards Anakin's mother to see her watching them. "I apologize for tearing him away, Milady, but this is rather urgent," he said.

Shmi smiled. "It's quite alright, I understand," she told him.

"I'll be back," Anakin assured his mother before following Obi-Wan out of the room who had grabbed the hovercart.

"I'll make sure that you have something edible for lunch and supper," Obi-Wan said to Anakin as they left the room.

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Shmi was growing quite tired of laying down in bed, even the holonet wasn't keeping her occupied. No, she needed something to do and she needed to move. It was against her nature to remain still for long periods of time, so she braced herself against the bed and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She next threw the covers off of herself, before swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her feet hit the cold tiled floor and it was a shock to her system. It was just so cold! Ignoring it, she pushed herself up, feeling her muscles protesting. She managed to walk around the room without incident, before finding the refresher. She frowned as she remembered her son telling her how scared he was and thought that he would lose her. It wasn't that bad, was it? Deciding that she needed to know, reasoning that the refresher would have a mirror in it, she entered and flicked a light on, squinting at the brightness before her eyes adjusted to the light and she peered at herself in the mirror. There were several bandages over her face and over her body in the visible places and going underneath the infirmary garb that she was wearing. She barely remembered what the Tuskans had done, but obviously it was severe...

"Mom?"

Shmi didn't take her eyes away from her reflection when she heard Anakin's voice. "In here!" she called as she checked herself over.

"What are you doing?" Anakin asked from the open door.

"I needed to get out of that bed," Shmi told him.

"Well, just don't let Master Allie catch you out of bed, she gets really cranky when she sees a patient overdoing it," Anakin told her.

"You sound like you know so much about the subject," Shmi said looking at him.

"Well..."

Shmi turned back to her reflection, before peeling the bandages away from her face, growing dismayed to see the numerous half healed lacerations all over her face, knowing that they would no doubt leave scars. As she was peeling away another bandage, she felt a hand over hers, not having noticed when Anakin had moved to her side. She turned to him, wondering when he had gotten so tall as she had to look up at him. Her five foot-eight inch frame being dwarfed by his six foot-two inch frame.

Wordlessly, he took her hand and lead her out of the refresher to sit in a chair. Shmi watched as he rummaged through the storage cabinets for something, and brought an armful over to her. "You shouldn't have taken the bacta poultices off," he told her, pulling up a stool to sit in front of her.

"I needed to see my face, Ani," Shmi told him.

"Bacta is a healing substance. It heals just about anything. If you keep the bacta poultices over the cuts, they'll heal without leaving a scar," Anakin told her, applying a small dabble of bacta over the cuts on her face with a cotton swab.

"Ani?" Shmi asked.

Anakin looked at her in the eye. "Yeah?"

"How bad was it?" Shmi asked, when he looked away and continued what he was doing, she continued. "I need to know, Anakin," she told him.

"Other than the numerous cuts and bruises, you had three cracked ribs and one of your ribs pierced your right lung, causing internal bleeding. If you weren't found when you were and brought here, you would have died," Anakin answered her honestly.

"But you found me, Ani, and I'm fine now," Shmi told him.

"I'm not the one who found you, Mom. I was on Naboo at the time. By the time I arrived on Tatooine, you had already been found and brought here," Anakin corrected her. "I would have come here sooner, but I was called to Geonosis to fight a massive illegal army created by the Separatist Movement. If The Order didn't succeed they way we did, a full scale war would have broken out," he told her. "I'm lucky to have gotten away with this," he added gesturing to his immobilized arm, "Other Jedi weren't so lucky," he said quietly.

Shmi was quite alarmed at hearing this, of the fact that her son was so near to death. "Is it bad out there then?" she asked.

"It's not going to easy. We need to find the Sith before he can take on another apprentice. If we can't, then yes, it will be very bad," Anakin answered honestly.

This did little to ease Shmi's worries. "Are you forced into dangerous situation often?" she asked.

"A large portion of the missions that I've taken part in has resulted in aggressive negotiations," Anakin answered.

"Aggressive negotiations?" Shmi asked.

"Negotiations with a lightsaber," Anakin explained. "Some missions are just diplomatic missions but those are few and far in between. There are reasons why Jedi are called for something and even the most innocuous mission could end up as a fight," he told her.

"And now? With people building illegal armies?" Shmi asked concerned.

"I have a feeling that it will only get worst," Anakin told her honestly.

"I'm not sure if I like the idea of you fighting for your life, Ani," Shmi told him. "And by the sound of it, its getting dangerous out there..."

"Why do you think I want you here instead of Tatooine?" Anakin asked. "It's safer here on Coruscant than in the outer rim. The Confederacy takes up most of the outer rim. Geonosis was only a parsec away from Tatooine and considering what happened with the Tuskans... I would feel much better if you were here, especially when it starts to get really bad," he told her.

"_I_ would feel better if you weren't caught up in this," Shmi countered.

"I'm a Jedi, it's my duty to serve and protect the Republic," Anakin told her as he finished applying the bandages over her cuts. "Besides, _you're_ the one who encouraged me to follow this path," he reminded her.

"How could I forget," Shmi replied.

"I can go find you some proper clothes and show you around the Temple, if you'd like," Anakin offered changing the subject.

"You mean that I would see something other than these walls?" Shmi asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sure that Master Allie wouldn't mind you getting a little exercise," Anakin told her.

"I think that would be a very welcoming idea," Shmi told him.

"Good," Anakin said, standing. "I'll be right back," he told her, leaving the room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

True to Anakin's word, he did not take long in grabbing some suitable clothing for her to wear as he carried a bundle of cloth under his arm as he walked through the door and set it on a chair. "I didn't really expect you to be that quick," Shmi told him.

"Oh, well, the closet is only a couple corridors down," Anakin explained, picking up a very dark cloak and shrugged it on.

"Are we required to wear cloaks?" Shmi asked as she reached for the other garments.

"No...it's just some parts of the Temple are cold," Anakin explained.

Shmi examined the garments that her son had brought her. All of it a varying shades of brown and there seemed to be layers.

"Just follow the colors. The lighter colors go on first," Anakin explained. "I'll be outside," he said walking out the door.

Shmi got up and proceeded to get dressed, noticing a simple pair of shoes neatly placed between garments. She followed her son's advice, finding this style of dress to be no more complicated than that and after she had put on the last layer, she lifted the skirts some to slip on the shoes that he provided. She walked into the refresher where she had noticed a comb on the counter and proceeded in coming out her hair. She noticed her hair tie and pins neatly laying near where the comb was and proceeded in putting her hair up before joining her son in the corridor. However before either of them could move or say anything the Jedi Healer who her son had identified as Master Allie walked over to them.

"Anakin Skywalker, what are you up to this time?" Stass Allie demanded.

"I only thought that a little exercise wouldn't hurt," Anakin answered calmly.

Stass regarded him for a moment before nodding. "All right, but next time, notify me first," she conceded. "Nothing too strenuous," she added for good measure and a little sternly.

"I don't..."

Stass crossed her arms. "I do have remind _you_ of that," she said. "Or should I remind you of that time that you didn't let your broken leg heal fully before getting into a sparring match with Ferus Olin, prolonging the healing process," she reminded him.

"That was his fault..."

Stass eyed him critically. "I have a very reliable source that says otherwise," she told him strictly. "Now go before I change my mind and be sure to return when you get tired," she ordered.

Anakin didn't need to be told twice and took his mother's hand, leading her down the corridor and out of the healer's hall. Once they were out of the healer's hall, Shmi gasped at the splendor and beauty that she could already see.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Anakin told her as though reading her thoughts.

Shmi turned to him, having forgotten about how uncanny he could read the thoughts a feelings of others. "What else is there?" she asked.

"I'll show you," Anakin told her, leading her through the halls.

The more she saw of the Jedi Temple, the more she felt as though it was the most spectacular place she had seen. She noticed a Jedi around Anakin's age walking towards them.

"I was wondering when you would come out of the healers, Anakin," the Jedi, a young human male with dark hair said.

"Well, you know Master Allie..." Anakin replied with a shrug.

"I also know that you defy strict orders, so what changed?" the unknown Jedi asked.

"Well, I can't exactly do much with this sling, can I?" Anakin replied, pushing aside some of his cloak to reveal the sling.

"Oh I heard that you battled Dooku. Was he really a Sith?" the Jedi asked.

"Yeah, that's true. I can't help but wonder what Qui-Gon would have thought about that what with Dooku having been his master," Anakin replied.

"If my master became a Sith, I would feel betrayed and preform my sworn duty," the Jedi told him.

Anakin frowned. "I'm kind of busy at the moment, how about a sparring match once Master Allie says it's okay?" Anakin suggested, hoping to move on.

"Sure thing, I'll be practicing in the mean time, Skywalker," the Jedi said before moving on.

Shmi saw the frown on her son's face. "What is it?" she asked.

"I just don't get it sometimes," he said. "The Master/Padawan bond is sacred but comments like that...it's just so uncaring," he finished.

"Who is this Dooku?" Shmi asked.

"Count Dooku, as he called himself, was Qui-Gon's master like Obi-Wan is to me and Qui-Gon was to Obi-Wan. Dooku left the order after Qui-Gon's death," Anakin explained. "Master Obi-Wan seems to think that Dooku left the order because of it, Master Yoda is convinced that Dooku was too attached to Qui-Gon and his death caused Dooku to turn to the dark side, but I'm not too sure," he told her.

"Why aren't you sure, Ani?" Shmi asked.

"I remember meeting Dooku before he left the order, I don't really remember sensing much loss from him where Qui-Gon was concerned, but envy and a little indignation. I didn't like the way he looked at me either," Anakin told her.

"What do you mean?" Shmi asked.

"I'll explain later, let's just continue with the tour," Anakin dismissed, continuing on his way.

Shmi kept herself from frowning, she could sense that he was reluctant to talk about it and she wondered about the implications. "So what is first on the tour?" she asked. Anakin just grinned, taking this opportunity to show her all of his favorite aspects of the Temple.


	23. A Threat

**A/N:**_ Sorry it took so long to update this. I had some issues to get through and then as I wrote this chapter I repeatedly got distracted but here is the newest chappie. I hope you all enjoy. _

_P.S. Please review my profile for additional info.  
_

* * *

Shmi woke from her evening nap, the medicine she had been told to take had made her sleepy and upon Anakin's encouragement, she gave into the drug's will. She wanted to stay up and speak to her son some more. She wanted spend as much time with him as she could but he had assured her that he would still be here when she woke but as she looked around, he was nowhere in sight. Instead a different person was in the room with her. His red shirt and black pants tucked into boots and the hat covering his face letting black spiking hair on his head show was very familiar. "Kitster?" her son's lifelong friend was every bit of a son to her as her own flesh and blood and she knew that she was the only real parent he had ever known.

Kitster instantly sat up, his hat falling from his face as he looked at her, concern in his dark eyes. "How are you feeling?" he asked concerned.

Shmi sat up, relieved that the aching feeling had left her. "Much better," she told him. "Where is Anakin?" she asked.

"Oh he left as soon as I came in, said that he had someone...eh something to take care of. He was in such a rush that he nearly toppled me over," Kitster answered.

"Did he say where?" Shmi asked disappointed.

"Yeah, but he told me that if I said anything to anyone, he'd steal the hyperdrive from my ship and I'd never get it back," Kitster told her. If there was ever a threat that Kitster took seriously it would be a threat to his ship. Threats to his person were things that he laughed off. Threats to his ship, he grew sober and obeyed.

Shmi frowned for a moment. "He said he'd still be here," she told him.

"Well, he was itching to get to whatever he went off to do. Though with an immobilized arm, it might be a bit difficult considering..." Kitster trailed off. There were some things that Shmi was better off not knowing. Namely Anakin's sex life which wasn't a match for Kitster's in his book. Instead he pulled out some dice and rested them on a hover table that he pulled between himself and Shmi. "In the mood to play something?" he asked.

"What is the score again?" Shmi asked, reaching for the dice.

"Thirty to forty, I'm forty," Kitster answered slyly.

"Nice try," Shmi told him, catching him in his little cheat.

Kitster shrugged. "It was worth a try," he told her.

"Did you get your ship back?" Shmi asked.

"Yeah, and it was about time, too," Kitster answered.

"I told you that Anakin would help you if you would stop insulting each other long enough to talk civilly," Shmi told him.

Kitster snorted. "Anakin didn't do anything, it was Obi-Wan who did. Anakin refused to help because he wanted my ship, he wanted it from the beginning and he left it impound so that the Temple could claim it," he told her.

Shmi shook her head. "Didn't you two come to an agreement years ago?" she reminded him.

"Yeah, well he's decided to go back on a few agreements," Kitster grumbled. "Up until...recently he'd held up to the agreements now he's found some other accomplices for his goals."

"I can't see Ani cheating you out of your ship, Kitster. He knows that you need your ship for what you are doing. I know he wouldn't compromise that," Shmi told him as they started to play the game.

"He found a slave like him on Tatooine. Freed her and had her brought here," Kitster told her. "The catch is that she's defective, she can't see," he explained. "She's in the next room recovering from a high fever and some really bad abuse."

"How old is she?" Shmi asked.

"She's five and she's one that doesn't have a name," Kitster answered her. "Cute little thing with dark hair dark eyes and pale skin. Dani and Dylan wanted to keep her," he described. "Anakin decided to call her Ebony for the time being, she seemed to like it. You should see him teach her to use this forcy-thing he's got, he was doing that all day yesterday until Obi-Wan told him to quit and ordered him to assist that weird old green stump of a Jedi in one of the youngling clans if he wanted to instruct children," Kitster finished.

"Is that where he's at now?" Shmi asked, looking at him.

"No... he's not with her or any other kid. Who he's with isn't a little girl..." Kitster trailed off.

Shmi looked at him, quite sure that there was more and that Kitster was covering up for Anakin over something. "Is he doing something he shouldn't be?" she asked.

"Ah..." Kitster rubbed his neck. "I think he's gotten himself in deeper than he planned," he told her evasively. "But I ain't saying nothin' more. He was rather serious about taking my hyperdrive," he hastened to add.

Shmi hoped that her son wasn't doing something dangerous, Kitster's explanations and refusal to utter a word more concerned Shmi greatly.

* * *

Padmé returned to her apartment later than she had planned. The Senate, it seemed was in an uproar demanding that the chancellor start mending rifts with the confederacy and started shouting for the deaths of the separatists leaders. After what Luke and Leia had told her about the future and what the chancellor was, Padmé had started to look for signs that could lead to prove their claim. She could tell that the chancellor was more than disappointed that a war had been prevented, he was angry. He wanted the war. She had declined Captain Typho's offer to stay with her after she had expressed her observations with him and he had bluntly informed her that if that was the case then she was still going to be targeted. She had dismissed her handmaidens for their respective homes. She needed time alone with her thoughts. The apartment was only lit with the city's artificial light so she didn't see the form laying on the of the couches when she dropped her cloak and her shoes on it after taking them off until she heard the painful cry followed by a form shooting up with her cloak covering it. Padmé screamed, jumped back and retrieved her blaster, aiming it as whoever it was yanked her cloak off of himself. She only relaxed when she saw Anakin's face, wincing.

"Didn't you see me?" Anakin complained.

"Anakin, what are you doing here? How did you get in?" Padmé demanded, surprised to see him.

"I let myself in, I didn't think you'd mind," Anakin told her.

Padmé's heart rate returned to a normal pace. "You scared me," she told him.

Anakin grimaced. "I'm sorry, I just thought you'd be home a while ago. You weren't so I waited...and fell asleep," he told her, rubbing his face with his left hand. "I had to distract the healers enough and wait for my Mom to get to sleep before I could sneak out. I needed to see you," he told her, standing walking to her. "I've been unable to get you off of my mind. Even as I waited for my mom to wake up and I could be sure that she was okay, I kept thinking about you and what's happening between us. I can't stop thinking about you," he told her, invading her personal space and was unable to resist himself from kissing her, gathering her as close to him as he could. Thankful that she didn't resist as she kissed him back with equal adore, her blaster falling to the floor as her arms wrapped around his neck.

Before their kiss could go on any further Anakin broke away slightly, his mouth still inches from hers as he looked into her warm brown eyes. "Does that make me selfish, a bad son for thinking about you rather than my mother?" he asked, seeking a positive answer.

"She was in good hands, Ani, You knew that she would be fine. You stayed at her side, that doesn't make you selfish or a bad son," Padmé assured him.

"I was afraid that it did," Anakin admitted.

Padmé kissed his lips before breaking away. "You shouldn't have to worry, Ani," she told him and broke from his embrace. "We can continue to talk but I need to change into something more comfortable," she told him. When he was about to retake a seat on the couch she looked at him. "Are you coming?" she asked.

Anakin looked at her, sensing her thoughts and intentions. He didn't say anything, he just followed her to her bedroom. He took a seat on her bed, taking note of how much more comfortable it felt than his own at the Temple. He suddenly wanted to do more than sit on it, only mildly wanting to sleep on it, more he wanted something more active, especially when he watched as Padmé began to disrobe in front of him. The feel of her soft, creamy, perfect skin under his fingers, against his own burned through his memory. The wanton sounds of wild abandon she made reverberated in his mind, the way she had tasted remained in his mouth. He couldn't recall any other woman he had been with with such longing or detail because he never thought of any of them at all. But Padmé had been burned into him. He had never felt this way. And as she was about to pull on a nightgown he had to restrain himself from stopping her. He knew that they needed to talk before anything else.

"How is your arm?" Padmé asked concerned after taking her hair out of it's elaborate style.

"Master Allie said that I could take it out of the sling in a week. The wound is almost healed," Anakin answered her.

Padmé smiled as she turned to him. "That's good then," she said, pleased as she walked over to him. "And your mother?" she asked.

"If she hadn't been found and brought to the Temple when she was, she would have died," Anakin answered. "She had been starved and beaten. She had three cracked ribs and one of them had pierced her lung. She was bleeding internally when she was found," Anakin answered. "Master Allie was able to stop the bleeding and patch up her lung and mend her ribs," he finished.

Padmé sat down next to him. "I'm glad that she's doing fine, Anakin," she told him.

Anakin looked at her. "I honestly didn't come here to talk about my mother," he admitted. "We..."

Padmé reached over and kissed him. "I know, Ani," she told him. "I'm not certain about what is happening between us either," she told him.

"I've never had to deal with this. I have no clue as to what to do or how loving someone works," Anakin told her honestly. "The Temple doesn't offer any lessons on the subject and I left my mom before she could offer me any guidance on the subject."

"This isn't something that we can plan out, Ani. We just have to follow where things go from here," Padmé told him.

"You haven't told me how you feel," Anakin pointed out.

Padmé placed both hands on his face and kissed him deeply, his free hand moving to cup her face as he responded to the kiss with longing before she pulled away slightly, only an inch away from his mouth, her eyes meeting his blue orbs. "I love you so much, Anakin. I want to be with you just as much, no one else," she told him. "But I don't want you to abandon your commitment to the Jedi either," she hastened to add.

"That makes things very difficult," Anakin reminded her.

"Then we won't saying anything to anyone until something can be done," Padmé told him.

"I thought you nixed that idea," Anakin reminded her.

"I've changed my mind," Padmé told him. "A secret relationship could prove to be a little exciting, the danger of almost getting caught is enticing," she told him.

"I thought that you liked rules and order," Anakin reminded her, remembering a debate they engaged in a few years back through electronic messages. They had been on opposing viewpoints and rather than continue the argument they had drawn a close by agreeing to disagree.

"I said that?" she asked not recalling the debate right away and when she did she was surprised that he had.

Anakin nodded slightly. "I remember everything you have ever said, word for word," he disclosed.

"That is...odd, but flattering," Padmé replied, surprised that he did when she didn't recall everything he had ever said word for word. In fact she didn't know anyone who could remember word for word everything someone else had ever said. She moved to kiss him again.

Anakin smiled against her lips and after a moment, he broke away. "Don't you?" he asked.

"Anakin, you are the first person I have ever known to recall what a single person has ever said word for word," Padmé told him patiently and seriously.

"I guess everything you have ever had to say was important to me then," Anakin deducted kissing her again.

Padmé broke away slightly. "Did you only come over to talk?" she asked, her hand reaching down to gently stroke the rather obvious bulge in his pants.

Anakin groaned. "No," he managed to get out before they kissed again.

* * *

Luke stepped into the middle class hanger where a rather old ancient-looking Dynamic-class freighter sat. Luke was instantly reminded of the _Millennium Falcon_ and a weird sense of déjà vu took over. He vaguely remembered this ship. The hanger seemed to be empty save for the old, beat-up looking ship. Luke hadn't seen Kitster since the Council decided to take his ship out of impound for his help on Geonosis and he hasn't really been around that much even if he were enjoying Coruscant. The ramp of the ship was lowered so someone had to have been around. The feeling of déjà vu continuing as he ascended the ramp and walked into the ship, hearing some heavy moving and a few well phrased huttese muttering. He came to a stop at the source and knelt down on one knee, his chest against the other, one hand on the floor of the cargo hold, his other resting on his raised knee as he peered down into the hidden compartment. Below him, Kitster moved around, arraigning a few different food supplies here and there. Smiling, Luke called out to him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Kitster dropped a can on his foot and cursed in surprise before looking up at Luke, somewhat surprised. "Welcome to the _Mercy's Will_," he said, hoisting himself up out of the hidden compartment and stood up with Luke.

Luke nodded. "Preparing to leave?" he asked.

"I'm space sick," Kitster admitted. "But I'm not leaving until I know Shmi is going to be settled," he said determinedly.

"Really?" Luke asked.

Kitster looked at him. "She's the closest thing that I have to a mother," he said in explanation.

"You've got some ancient ship," Luke commented.

"Yeah, well I found her with Anakin about five years ago, had to fight him tooth and nail over her," Kitster told him. "I finally won the rights over a game of sabacc."

Luke shook his head at how similar that was to Han and Lando.

"So how's your sister?" Kitster asked soberly.

Luke shrugged. "She's still out of it," he said. "But she'll make it through alright," he said as they walked to the main hold and took a seat. "So, are you happy to have your ship back?" he asked.

Kitster grunted. "Anakin let it sit in impound out of spite so that he could claim it himself," he said as he flopped down on a table.

Luke chuckled. "You really think that?" he asked, lazing back in his seat.

Kitster grunted again. "I don't know what's up and up with him lately," he said, waving a hand for emphasis. "He's gotten himself _enamored_ with a woman," he said disdainfully. He sat up to look at Luke who wore a quizzical expression. "He swore that he would never let that happen and he had a perfectly good excuse too. Jedi can breed but they can't fall in love, he said, bah! Liar!"

Luke rose an eyebrow. "You think it's a bad thing?" he asked.

"Yes! There's a whole galaxy filled with women! He can have them all, instead he settles! I'm not gonna settle, I'll tell ya that. I won't break my oath. The oath he broke. I mean, you don't break sacred oaths!" Kitster ranted. He sat up and looked at Luke. "Hey, you're old enough, what say you about heading down to a brothel..."

Luke looked at him strangely. "That's appealing to you?" he asked.

"You're not interested? What do you like men or something?" Kitster asked.

Luke laughed. "No! I just don't see sex as important as stopping the Sith and preventing the Empire from taking over," he told him.

Kitster looked at him like he was crazy. "Sex _is_ important. It's mega important!" he told him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Luke just shook his head. "Not as important as other things," he told him.

Kitster shrugged. "You're one of those big picture types aren't you?" he asked, flopping back down.

"I wasn't always, but when I saw the destruction of Alderaan, things finally came into focus," Luke told him.

"Anakin is a big-picture type too, only he likes to live in the moment and he can kick back, do whatever he pleases and not care kind of thing. Now, ever since he got together with her, he's slowly changing," Kitster grumbled the last part.

"You are talking about my mother if you recall," Luke pointed out.

"Bah. Was she there for you as a kid?" Kitster asked.

"She was dead," Luke told him.

Kitster shrugged. "Still. She took my best friend away," he said.

"You do an awful lot of complaining," Luke commented.

"Hey, he's gonna be with her more than me now!" Kitster snapped.

"You know instead of complaining, maybe you should do something about it," Luke suggested.

Kitster nearly brightened before he frowned. "Nah, I can't break them up, Anakin would kill me if he found out. He's got that forcy thing and that laser sword, all I got is a blaster..." he said.

Luke shook his head. "That wasn't what I meant," he said.

Kitster looked at him. "Then what?" he asked.

"Try to be happy and understand that sometimes loving someone isn't such a bad thing," Luke told him.

"Bah!" Kitster dismissed and got up. "I'm going to a strip club," he said. "Wanna come?" he offered.

"I have to report back to the Temple," Luke said as he stood.

Kitster grimaced. "Your sad luck," he said as they exited the ship.

* * *

Starkiller patiently sat at Leia's bedside, waiting for her to open her eyes. He sensed that she was getting closer. He waited, hoping that there wasn't any lasting damage. Unfortunately Dooku was already dead if there was. He brushed a stray piece of Leia's hair aside, mildly surprised that it didn't fall in curls as Padmé's did but rather it fell just as his did, in soft waves. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Luke enter the room and sit down in a chair, lean over to where his back rested on the arm and propped his legs over other arm, sinking as deep as he could into the chair. "Comfortable?" he asked.

"More than I think I might have been, had I went with Kitster to the under-city," Luke answered. At his father's raised eyebrow, he elaborated. "He wanted to take me to a brothel and then a strip club," he told him.

"I don't think he cared either way," Starkiller told him.

"He's been pouting because of you and my mother," Luke informed him.

"Let him pout," Starkiller told him.

Luke smiled. "I have very little and vague memories of him," he said.

Starkiller looked at him. "Really?" he asked.

Luke nodded. "Used to come around the farm. Uncle Owen didn't like him very much. I last saw him when I was ten and Aunt Dylan took off with him," he told him. "Uncle Owen was furious which only forced Aunt Dani to take off too," he added. "It was hard not to point that out when he ranted that he would never get enamored as he put it," he finished.

Starkiller frowned but chose to hold his tongue on that information. "She's getting stronger," he said, speaking of Leia.

"My senses say that she'll open her eyes today," Luke told him.

Starkiller took a seat across Luke then and remained quiet, waiting for Leia to awaken.

"You're more fun and talkative at nineteen," Luke commented.

Starkiller rose an eyebrow. "Why do you say that? And where are you going?" he asked.

Luke reached behind him and pulled the cowl of his cloak up over his face. "Just making an observation," he said, his voice slightly muffled by the fabric over his face.

Starkiller looked at him, thinking about what was just said to him.

* * *

Coruscant's sun reflection was setting when Leia's eyes slowly began to flutter open and she groaned painfully, slightly disoriented. She felt a hand brush against her forehead softly before she heard the vaguely familiar gravelly voice.

"Do you feel any pain?" it asked quietly.

Leia reached up and brushed the hand aside, turning on her side away from him, not responding.

"Leia?" The concern seemed misplaced.

"I feel like I was just tortured with a mind probe," she said in a emotionless voice, hoping to hit the mark she wanted.

Starkiller leaned away at the reference as if he was just stabbed. He should have known better than to not expect such a response. "You had to have a rivet surgically removed from your head. It would be beneficial to know if you were feeling any ill effects," he said in a flat voice, putting emotional distance between them.

"I remember everything," Leia told him. "I don't feel any different," she insisted.

"I would feel more comfortable once you have been examined by a healer," Starkiller told her.

Leia turned to him. "Why do you care?" she demanded. "Why now?"

Starkiller didn't say anything. If he did and allowed himself to open up to the daughter he had always wanted, the daughter he _knew_ he would have, the daughter who despised him, and she rejected him, he didn't know if he could be around much afterwards.

"You're only here because you feel obligated and guilty, nothing more," Leia said, drawing conclusions. "You're feeling guilty because you chose the power the Emperor offered you over your family and you don't want to show it." she watched him, seeing no reaction showing on his face. "In fact you always knew who I was, you just didn't care," she said coolly.

"I see that you are awake," an unfamiliar voice said, catching Leia's attention.

Both she and Starkiller turned to the Mon Calamarian that entered the room. "She just opened her eyes," Starkiller told her.

"And yet she seems so hostile," Bant observed.

Starkiller grunted. "That is normal," he told her as he stood. "I leave her in your care, Master Eerin," he said with a sweeping motion before exiting the room and leaning against a wall, taking a deep breath, Leia's accusations stinging like a well placed lightsaber. Finding his center, he pushed away from the wall and stalked off to find Luke.

-  


* * *

* * *

-  
Once Bant left, giving Leia a clean bill of health, Luke came in munching on a Temple pastry and handed one to Leia. "Here, you gotta try these," he said and sat down at the foot of the biobed she was sitting on.

Leia tore a piece of pastry off and took a bite finding the taste to be something new. "What is this?" she asked.

Luke shrugged. "Dunno. I picked up a couple from a plate that was set out. It had the name Skywalker on it," he told her.

"You stole it off a reserved plate?" Leia raised an eyebrow.

Luke gave her a lopsided smile. "Technically I didn't steal it. All it said was Skywalker," he told her.

Leia smiled. "I see Han has rubbed off on you," she told him and laughed. "I remember the old farm boy that burst into my cell declaring himself my rescuer," she told him.

"That was a fun 'rescue'," Luke remarked. "First I get insulted for my efforts and then said Princess's brilliant idea of escaping through the garbage chute almost gets me eaten by a trash parasite," he said as he took another bite of the pastry. "I seem to get that a lot, something always wants to eat me," he complained.

"It's because you're so tasty," Leia teased.

Luke laughed. "Yeah, I'm real tasty," he retorted. He sobered up. "We're not the same people who escaped the Death Star," he said softly.

Leia swallowed a bite from the pastry. "No, we're not," she agreed.

"Too much has happened. We've been through more than anyone here can fathom," Luke said.

"Do you think after this that we will ever be the same?" Leia asked.

"I don't know if we will actually exist or if we'll be replaced with someone else," Luke answered thoughtfully. He looked at her. "I'm guessing this is all part of the mysteries of the Force."

"I'm still not sure that I believe in the Force or the complexities of light and dark," Leia admitted.

"I've seen it first hand so I can't not believe," he told her.

"I'm not sure how you do it,"

"Do what?"

"Continue to trust everything, everyone."

Luke knew what she was talking about. "It's not about trust," he admitted. "I'm feeling out everything as I go."

"Where have you been?" she asked quietly.

"I've been around. I'm still not quite used to medical facilities, I was uncomfortable staying here all the time," he told her. "Besides, I knew you'd be fine." There was a brief moment of silence as they munched on their pastries. "You were never alone. He never left your side, he was even in surgery with you. Though I had no idea he knew some about healing," he told her, looking at her.

Leia didn't respond to the last part as she finished her pastry. "I'm about ready to leave now," she told him.

"We have to wait until what Fishhead says," Luke told her.

"Fishhead?" Leia asked.

"A healer that looks like Akbar," Luke explained.

Outside the room, Starkiller stood an listened, waiting for the right moment to walk in. Taking this moment, he walked in. "Bant said you were ready to go at any time. You need to get ready, we've been summoned," he told them.

"By the Council?" Luke asked.

"By the Chancellor," Starkiller corrected. A look of alarm rose in each twin's face. "Refusing a formal request would be too suspicious and not conducive to the objective. You have one hour," he told them.

* * *

Palpatine was not pleased. All of his efforts to create a full scale war had been thwarted. He needed the war to carry out his plans for galactic domination. The war was critical to his plans to gain emergency powers. But with Tyranus dead, he lacked an influential enough apprentice to raise the hackles of the systems he had hand-picked to start his war. Without the war there was no emergency powers and politically, he couldn't find a way to make the Jedi traitors to the Republic. No way to spread them out until he could snap the entire latticework with a flick of the finger. No way to get the Grand Army of the Republic approved through the Senate. And most importantly, Skywalker was not yet ready to snap. To have the Jedi's precious Chosen One under his thumb would suit his purposes in two ways, not only would he deprive the Jedi of their only means to destroy the Sith, but he would gain a powerful apprentice. Skywalker would be his greatest weapon. He needed more time to continue to mold Skywalker. He needed a way to plunge the galaxy into war. He would need to meditate on it later.

His aide chimed in on the com to announce the Jedi Council and heroes of Geonosis, and after relaying his message to send them in, Palpatine turned from the window to see select members of the Jedi Council enter with Skywalker, Kenobi and the three Jedi he had yet to meet but only had the names, Starkiller, Lars, and Solo. Starkiller held a hard expression chiseled into his face that seemed, for the moment, to be made of stone. Lars and Solo held their heads high in veiled defiance. Kenobi, he knew, saw this visit as a duty as well as the Jedi Council members, but Skywalker, as always, saw this as a privilege and gave him a look of reverence. Palpatine smiled benevolently.

"Welcome. Welcome. I am so glad to have you here. From what I understand, you have found yourselves another of these bothersome Sith, and in doing so, you have brought the galaxy back from the brink of war."

"It is the duty of every Jedi to ensure that the galaxy remains a peaceful and just place," Starkiller said evenly.

"Yes, so it is, and you have done an admirable job, and earned the thanks of the Senate and the Galaxy, as well as this office."

"Jedi neither desire nor seek accolades," Saesee Tiin said.

"But you have earned them, nonetheless," Palpatine said, apparently unfazed. "I would appreciate some attendance at a ceremony recognizing the work of the Jedi in this matter." He eyed the occupants in the room, noting the pained expressions on Solo and Lars, the way Skywalker seemed to hide his interest and the resignation in Kenobi. Starkiller has yet to show a new expression, he was far too difficult to read much to Palpatine's indignation. What was more, he sensed darkness in Starkiller.

"With all due respect, Chancellor, the Jedi do not need any grand ceremony for doing our job, the fact that peace has settled is the only reward we have need for," Mace responded respectfully.

"Attend we will. Our duty to the Republic it is to assure the people that peace we have achieved. To feel that assurance, see our faces they must," Yoda decided.

Palpatine smiled warmly then. "It is settled. I will personally see to the arraignments and will get back to you on the matter," he said.

"If the Order is to be honored for preventing a war, surely it should be the Council they need, for they are the face of the Order, they have the most influence and say so," Luke said out loud, trying to excuse himself from attending.

"But young, Luke, do you not wish to be rewarded for your efforts in maintaining the peace?" Palpatine asked solicitously.

"I believe that those who seek credit for the work that they do for the good of all seek only glory for themselves. I seek only the greater good," Luke replied.

"Surely for all the services you provide for the Republic don't you ever feel under appreciated? This ceremony is for the Republic's citizens to show you our appreciation for you selfless service," Palpatine said.

"The Jedi council will decide who will and will not attend," Mace spoke up, his seriousness brooking no room for argument.

Palpatine would hear none of it and pressed on. "Master Starkiller, I hear that you have two Padawans, my understanding is that it is against the rules, it sounds to me that you are a rogue. Surely you can see the rewards for your Padawans to mingle with those they are serving and hear their appreciation," he persisted.

Starkiller frowned. "I can safely say that I disagree. Sometimes hearing the praise of the masses can be detrimental to a Padawan's development."

"And your two Padawans?"

Starkiller shrugged. "I chose to train both my Padawans because there was no one else available. They are in different stages in their training and so one is able to help with the other."

"And the Council has allowed this? My, my. One does not distract the other?"

"Quite the opposite. They are both good at keeping each other on task. This might not work with another pair, but for these two, it works."

"And you do not think that if this works for them, as opposed to other Padawans, then receiving appreciative words could have the opposite effect on them, that other Padawans would not benefit from?"

"There is a big difference between praise from an appropriate source and an inappropriate one. Masters praise their Padawans, and they know that are a vital part of our community. They do not need to be praised from outside sources, which may have their own agendas."

"Is that why you chose to start your Padawan's training in seclusion? To exclude outside influence to counter your own?" Palpatine asked.

Starkiller frowned. "I chose to start their training by mingling in with the true citizens of the galaxy, not those who rape and abuse the Republic's offices and privileges afforded to them through political selection rather than by merit," he said pointedly.

"I'm sure you don't mean to imply that the Chancellor is one of those who abuse the system," Anakin Skywalker stepped up boldly, inserting his thoughts.

Starkiller turned to him. "Even the most benevolent ones can be corrupt by power," he said.

"I think we have gotten off topic," Palpatine interceded, not liking where things were heading.

"Agree I do. Believe I do that called in here we were to discuss the success over Geonosis," Yoda said, eying his underlings.

"That we have, Master Yoda. I wanted to thank you all personally for your involvement in the victory over Geonosis. unfortunately I fear that the confederacy may still hold strong even without Dooku's influence," Palpatine informed them.

"Dooku was a Sith, it is logical that the Confederacy is in league with the master," Anakin pointed out.

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard. "Dooku did mention a Lord Sidious," he added in.

Starkiller caught the angry gleam in Palpatine's eyes before it was gone. A sure sign that Dooku had betrayed Palpatine and he knew full well how his one time master took betrayal and briefly regretted killing Dooku, allowing thoughts of Dooku's punishment before he pushed those thoughts aside.

"So it seems, unfortunately he is no longer alive for us to question. I believe from the accounts we have you to thank for that mishap, Master Starkiller," Palpatine said.

"I was doing what my duty implied at the time. Had I been aware of Dooku's words to Master Kenobi I may have chosen a different method in taking out a dangerous threat," Starkiller replied.

"And you take your duties very seriously, I take it," Palpatine asked.

"Very," Starkiller told him seriously and added, "I am a Jedi, my allegiance is to the Republic. It is my sworn duty to eliminate each threat to the Republic," Starkiller said, looking Palpatine pointedly in the eye.

Palpatine received the hidden meaning well, however he did not show it. "The Republic is most grateful for your dedication and it is my hope that you continue to dedicate yourself fully to the services of the Republic. Which brings me to the most important point. I would like to appoint you each to weeding out those who have allegiances of the Confederacy. I have no wish for another opportunity to be given to them to continue with their plans," he informed them.

"The Jedi will endeavor to continue to bring evildoers to justice for as long as there are Jedi available to serve the Republic, Chancellor," Mace said.

"I appreciate that, as will the people. I will let the Council know when the ceremony is ready, and when it will be conducted. I do hope that you will allow as many as possible who were actually at the Battle of Geonosis to attend," Palpatine said and stood.

The Jedi stood as well and gave their respective bows. "We bid you a good day, Chancellor," Mace said as he and Yoda lead the way out.

Palpatine watched the Jedi leave, contemplating their visit and as he sat down, he realized that he had one major threat to his plans and it was Starkiller. Starkiller could very well be detrimental to his plans for Skywalker. Somehow he must find a way to get rid of Starkiller before he could proceed with the rest of his plans. He needed to meditate on the matter but he knew one thing. Starkiller must not be allowed to live for long, his influence was a great threat. What was more, he knew that somehow, Starkiller knew that he was Darth Sidious and for that, Sidious knew Starkiller must die.


	24. Chapter 24

Okay, I got a lot of reviews confused of who Palpy was addressing in the last scene so I corrected the chapter, if anyone who has read it wants to reread it, it is there.

I'm going to use this note to answer a question Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay posed as to where General Grievous was. I had some research done on Grevious and it seems your estimation was wrong. Easy enough though. the first battle you have Grievous in is the Battle of Hypori which is in 21.66bby/13:9. The only thing on battle of Geonosis is 22 bby so it's at least 4 months before Grievous is "battle ready" But I am thinking of what I can do about him since you asked. I have no intention on making things easy for our time travelers. Grievous could be an asset for something I was playing around with in this story. I need to tweek some stuff. I hope this helps.

I hope that I have made things more clear with my corrections.

**P.S.** This authors note is subject for removal in a short amount of time in order to play by the rules and guidelines of this site.


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